UCLA’s Anthony Barr makes impression at running back

Only those totally oblivious to UCLA’s practice Monday could have missed the big guy in the Bruins’ backfield.

F-back Anthony Barr made an appearance at running back, the position he played at Los Angeles Loyola High. He had three carries and gained eight yards during a live scrimmage at the end of practice.

It caught nearly everyone’s eye.

“We want to explore all options,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said. “We asked all the players what they think their best position is and he thinks his is running back. I want to give him some snaps and see what we got. We’ll do some more of that Saturday night.”

There seems little chance that Barr will shift to running back, a spot where the Bruins have quality depth. But when Barr committed to UCLA, he made no secret that playing running back was a preference.

“It’s something I was used to growing up, so it’s always fun to get back there,” said Barr, a sophomore. “I feel like I’ve developed so much as an F-back that I don’t really see running back as my primary position, but it’s nothing that I’m opposed to.”

Barr gained 1,890 yards rushing and scored 20 touchdowns as a junior at Loyola. He missed most of his senior season because of a broken ankle.

Barr, who is 6 feet 4 and 231 pounds, is viewed as having a future elsewhere, even by those paying only minimal attention.

Neuheisel pointed out that “Marcus Allen was that kind of back and ended up finding a way to make it work. I think there’s a place for great players and we want to know what we have in that running back that he was in high school.”

But, Neuheisel said, “I think he is really good at what we’re asking him to do right now. He’s tremendously valuable. He is working hard at his receiving skills. He does a lot of things for us.”

Barr, looking beyond UCLA, said, “The more you can do, the higher your stock, so the more I can do I feel like the better it will be for the future.”

Brehaut back

Quarterback Richard Brehaut showed no ill effects of missing two days with a strained left foot. During the scrimmage, Brehaut completed three of four passes for 28 yards and a touchdown against the second-team defense.

Kevin Prince sat out the scrimmage because of a small blister on a finger of his throwing hand. He was sharp during 11-on-11 drills earlier in practice.

Hunt commits

UCLA picked up a player for the future. Cornerback Dashon Hunt said he will attend UCLA … in 2013. Hunt will be a junior at Westlake Village Westlake High this fall. He had seven interceptions as a sophomore.

Quick hits

Linebacker Sean Westgate sat out practice with the flu. … Defensive end Wesley Flowers (hip flexor injury) also sat out. … Linebacker Ryan Hofmeister left practice with an injured leg. … Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt (concussion) returned to practice.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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