Bruins Offensive Lineman Making Strong Case to Crack Starting Five

Oluwafunto Akinshilo has been progressing well in camp and may have a chance to crack the first string.

Oct 8, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; The UCLA Bruins offensive line is seen on a line of the scrimmage against the Utah Utes during the fourth quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Plenty of stories come out of fall camp. Position battles, shining freshmen, impact returners. One of the latest revelations from UCLA's training camp is offensive lineman Oluwafunto Akinshilo, who may slowly be making a case to start on the Bruins' front five come Week 1.

Across two weeks in Costa Mesa, where UCLA is holding camp, Akinshilo has been seen taking a ton of snaps on the line, including snaps at center, where DeShaun Foster says much of the o-line is cross-training.

The redshirt senior is looking to make an impact in his last year of eligibility after losing all of last season -- his first in Westwood -- due to injury.

Does he have a chance at cracking the starting rotation?

"Funto's having a great camp," Foster said during Wednesday's media availability. "He started playing center towards the end of spring and it's just carried over to now. He's just doing a good job of the opportunity that he's had. You want to be multi-dimensional, so if you're a player and you have multiple things on your toolbelt, that's going to help you later on.

Eugene Brooks, a transfer redshirt freshman from Oklahoma, is projected to start at left guard over Akinshilo. Foster noted that he feels he has a good understanding of who is going to be the front five come game time.

Foster Cross-Training O-Line

Foster is trying to squeeze everything he can out of his squad while at camp in Costa Mesa, including making his players more versatile at multiple positions.

Look no further than the offensive line, a rather important position group highlighted by returners and transfers that are tasked with protecting the Bruins' new star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava.

Foster aims to make every offensive lineman more versatile, which is why Akinshilo was taking reps at center the other day, a position reserved for redshirt junior Sam Yoon.

It's not a competition, Foster stressed, but an effort to make every player familiar with each position on the line.

"He was taking snaps in spring also," Foster said during Saturday's media availability. "These guys got to be able to do multiple things. You can't just have one center, Sam just can't be the only center. We have to cross-train the guys.

"I just like that these guys are open to it. Nobody's getting in their feelings, or not necessarily wanting to be a team guy. It was just good, because Garrett [DiGiorgio] can really attest to that. He's played a lot of positions here at UCLA."

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