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UCLA freshman running back Bolu Olorunfunmi hammers away

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The freshman on offense who has been the most impressive during UCLA’s training camp has not been quarterback Josh Rosen.

Bolu Olorunfunmi, a running back from Clovis West High, has played his way into the picture. At 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he has a low center of gravity that allows him to batter would-be tacklers with his shoulder while picking up more yards.

“He gives us a different running style,” Coach Jim Mora said. “He’s thick and doesn’t take long strides. He’s quicker than I thought he would be.”

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Olorunfunmi gained 5,235 yards and scored 59 touchdowns during his high school career. He had 1,830 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior.

But a lot of high school backs roll up numbers. What Mora has liked is Olorunfunmi’s maturity as a runner.

“I stand behind the offense, so I get a really good feel where the hole is going to be,” Mora said. “He’s patient, but when he finds it, he gets downhill in a hurry. You see that when he gets out on the edge. He doesn’t keep running to the sideline, he puts his foot down and heads downfield.”

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The Bruins are set at running back. Paul Perkins, the Pac-12’s leading rusher with 1,575 yards last season, and Nate Starks, who has had a strong camp, top the depth chart. But Olorunfunmi, who has out-performed fellow freshman Soso Jamabo, may have played his way into the rotation.

He has had only one glitch: Occasionally, he mishandles the ball. Olorunfunmi put a brilliant move on defensive back DeChaun Holiday on Thursday, only to have Holiday reach back and strip the ball.

Said Mora: “It doesn’t matter how good a move you make or how hard you hit the hole, if you don’t come out of the pile and hand the ball to the official, it’s not a good play.”

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