UCLA Running Back Zach Charbonnet Announces Return, Passes on NFL Draft
When quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson announced he would be returning to Westwood for another year, the Bruins locked in one of their top offensive weapons for 2022.
On Friday, they secured another.
UCLA football running back Zach Charbonnet took to Instagram and let the world know he would be coming back for another year in blue and gold Friday afternoon, rather than declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft. Charbonnet still has two years of eligibility remaining.
The Bruins lost No. 1 receiver Kyle Philips and top tight end Greg Dulcich to the draft earlier in January, and with starting tackles Alec Anderson and Sean Rhyan also NFL-bound, left guard Paul Grattan and running back Brittain Brown out of eligibility and receiver Chase Cota's future up in the air, it seemed for a moment that Thompson-Robinson could be returning to an empty cupboard on offense.
Now, with Charbonnet back in tow, UCLA has retained arguably the top quarterback and top running back in the Pac-12 from the 2021 season.
Thompson-Robinson ranked No. 1 in the conference in passer rating and total touchdowns this past season, while finishing No. 8 in the country in estimated points added among quarterbacks. Charbonnet was the Pac-12's third-leading rusher, and he finished No. 6 in the country in estimated points added among running backs, despite splitting carries with Brown for most of the year.
The Bruins may lack another back to run alongside him like Brown did last fall – Keegan Jones, Christian Grubb and Deshun Murrell stand out as internal options, with incoming freshman Tomarion Harden joining the fray as well – but that only sets Charbonnet up to add some extra volume to his already top-tier numbers from 2021.
Charbonnet racked up 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry while also picking up 197 yards on 24 receptions in his first year at UCLA. The former Michigan transfer posted seven 100-yard performances, and after scoring seven touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season, he scored six more in the final four.
Even in that scoreless middle-third of the season, Charbonnet averaged 102 yards per game from scrimmage.
Charbonnet dominated the running back snap shares in the final few weeks of the season when Brown was injured, allowing him to reach 202 carries on the year. Brown still accounted for 120 touches and found the end zone seven times, though, meaning there is plenty of production for Charbonnet to eat into coming out of the backfield moving forward.
BetOnline released its opening futures odds for the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner on Tuesday and Charbonnet came in with the 37th-best odds in the country at +8000. With the news of his return becoming official, those odds may start to creep up.
Just looking at the Pac-12, Arizona State's Rachaad White, Oregon State's BJ Baylor, Washington State's Max Borghi, USC's Keaontay Ingram and Utah's TJ Pledger declared for the NFL Draft while Oregon's Travis Dye, Colorado's Jarek Broussard and Stanford's Nathaniel Peat and Austin Jones entered the transfer portal. Charbonnet was a member of the All-Pac-12 Second Team in 2021, and he could be pushing for a spot on the first team with only Utah's Tavion Thomas left to compete with.
The group that will have to open up holes for Charbonnet will change next fall, though, with three starters leaving the offensive line and offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Justin Frye taking a job at Ohio State earlier in the week.
Regardless, Charbonnet and Thompson-Robinson are both back to spearhead what was already one of the most efficient and potent offenses in the nation. Should coach Chip Kelly agree to an extension in the coming days, the Bruins could be in position to replicate that production in 2022.
Thompson-Robinson was clearly a fan of Charbonnet's decision, tweeting a brief but supportive instant-reaction in response.
Catch up on every UCLA player's status for next season over at All Bruins' 2022 NFL Draft Declaration Tracker.
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