Trio Competes for Cornerback Spot

The core of UCLA’s secondary is basically set with cornerback Matt Clark and safeties Ben Emanuel and Jarrad Page as starters. It’s a different story at the cornerback position opposite Clark, where Marcus Cassel, Jebiaus Brown and Nnamdi Ohaeri are competing.

“We have about seven or eight players who could start at a lot of schools, and that second corner position is really hot,” Page said. “Everybody is stepping up. Jebiaus Brown seems to be making an interception every day, and Marcus and Nnamdi have been playing really well.”

Last season, UCLA’s secondary was suspect at best. Opposing quarterbacks threw for 2,609 yards and 15 touchdowns.

This year, the Bruins seem to have more depth and, “It’s not just at that cornerback position,” Page said. “Eric McNeal is behind me pushing me every day. He’s someone who is showing that he needs to be on the field. And Ben Emanuel is the leader of the secondary, and he has Chris Horton behind him playing well.”

Cassel, a redshirt junior who played mainly on special teams last season, has been working with the first defensive unit -- but so have Brown and Ohaeri.

“Healthy competition ups the ante for everybody,” said Ohaeri, who sat out spring practice because of a knee injury. “It only improves the team.”

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UCLA’s practice Sunday, the first of fall camp in full pads, featured a couple of big hits and nice pass plays. But the story of the day was the number of key players who were held out or limited because of nagging injuries.

Running back Maurice Drew practiced for the first time since Wednesday but did not participate in every drill because of a mild groin injury. Defensive lineman C.J. Niusulu and receiver Marcus Everett did not work out at all because of headaches, and running back Manuel White did not finish practice because of the same problem. Defensive linemen Kyle Morgan and Brigham Harwell were limited because of knee injuries, and offensive lineman Eyoseph Efseaff did not participate in the last two drills because of a minor groin injury.