Rotstein took early step to deal with a new rule

Jimmy Rotstein, a walk-on at UCLA, didn’t bother waiting for the final decree. Once the scuttlebutt started, he took five large steps backward.

In an effort to inject more excitement into the game, and to keep the clock moving, the NCAA will have teams kick off from the 30-yard line this season.

“As soon as I started hearing the rumors, I began kicking from the 30,” said Rotstein, a sophomore who will handle the Bruins’ kickoffs. “There was no sense waiting.”

Rotstein’s experience with the Bruins has been limited to the 2005 Sun Bowl after Justin Medlock was suspended. But he thinks the rule change will allow talent to be put on display after touchdowns.

“It’s going to separate the kickers,” Rotstein said. “It used to be the guys with the big legs could line drive the ball through the end zone. Now they won’t be able to do it. It’s going to make hang time and location more important. Those are the things that will make a good kicker.”

Things are a little more complicated in the big picture. Coach Karl Dorrell and his staff spent extra time in training camp getting players acclimated to new strategies.

“Guys can’t be behind the line once he kicks the ball,” Dorrell said. “They got to make sure they are as close to being dead even as they can. It’s five more yards of coverage and you’re not going to see a lot of balls kicked out of the end zone.”

Which leaves the main responsibility with the kicker.

“You always try get down the field as much as you can, but you got to get some height on the ball,” Dorrell said. “You need the ball flight in the four-[second] range.

“On the other side, on the kick return team, you know that you’re going to get a good opportunity. You got to do a lot with your scheme to give your runner the opportunity to hit some seams.”

Dorrell selected Rotstein to do the kickoffs in part to avoid overburdening redshirt freshman Kai Forbath, who will handle the field goals and extra points.

“This is Kai’s first year, and Jimmy has been in a college game before, so we felt in the end our best interest was to keep [Kai] doing one thing and that’s field goals,” Dorrell said.

Punter Aaron Perez will do the holding for kicks this season, which opens up a roster spot for road games. Pacific 10 Conference teams are limited to 64 players for conference games.

“It seemed a natural, those guys together all the time, work with each other all the time,” Dorrell said. “He just got used to being a holder. Then Kai felt comfortable with him. . . . We travel 64 in conference so all the travel spots are very critical.”

Quarterback Patrick Cowan held for kicks last season.

chris.foster@latimes.com