UCLA safety Tahaan Goodman prepares for starting role

Safety Tahaan Goodman was out early Wednesday, getting in a little extra work half an hour before UCLA’s practice was scheduled to begin.

There was some sense of urgency. Goodman is a question for now and, the Bruins hope, an answer by late Saturday night.

UCLA will be without starting safety Randall Goforth, who suffered a separated shoulder against Memphis on Saturday. It left the Bruins without one of their most consistent players and will put Goodman in the starting lineup for the first time when the Bruins play Texas on Saturday.

“I feel a lot more comfortable with him going in there now than I would have last year,” defensive back coach Demetrice Martin said.

That comfort level comes, in part, by how Goodman is treating the chance. There has been no chomping at the bit or overkill moments in the days leading to the game.

It has been business-like.

“I just have to prepare like I always do,” said Goodman, a sophomore. “Treat it like any other week.”

An easy answer, yet there was more to it. Goodman is trying to acquire some of the savvy that Goforth provided in 17 consecutive starts since his freshman season in 2012.

The are multiple decisions that go into playing safety, not the least of which is reading when to pounce on the running game and when to hold back.

“You got to fight instinct because you never know when it’s going to be play-action,” Goodman said. “I like to play physical. At the same time, I have to hold back just a little bit to make sure it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Goodman has come far from when he was a highly sought recruit as a senior at Rancho Cucamonga High. He took visits to Louisiana State and Oklahoma, then chose UCLA.

He played in all 13 games last season, on special teams and as a reserve in the secondary. Martin saw him make the journey from highly rated recruit to effective college player.

“He has shown the maturity of wanting to be great,” Martin said. “He’s learning what it takes to put forth the effort instead having the entitlement of a four- or five-star high school player, thinking it was going to be easy. Now he’s a guy who is out here first every day. That has a lot to do with the leadership within the group. He comes out and asks for extra work.”

That development has been across the board.

“I feel a little bit smarter reading formations pre-snap, taking the angles and tackling,” Goodman said. “My mindset is thinking how NFL players worked to get where they are. That’s what I’m practice for, getting to the next level.”

The next level this week is the starting lineup.

Safety first

It is unknown how long the shoulder injury will keep Goforth from playing. After Saturday’s game against Texas, UCLA is off for a week. The Bruins play Arizona State on Sept. 25.

Safety Anthony Jefferson has been sick this week. That, and Goforth’s absence, had Tyler Foreman back with the secondary. Foreman had moved to linebacker this summer.

Jefferson is expected to play Saturday.

Role models

Linebacker Kenny Young, a freshman from Louisiana, has kept a close eye on UCLA linebackers Eric Kendricks and Myles Jack.

“These are great guys to learn from,” Young said.

Kendricks, Young said, “shows how to lead by example. He gets guys on the same page. He’s like a big brother to me.”

Jack, Young said, “is a cool guy. He doesn’t complain much. He just puts his head down and goes to work.”