Finally, I am also very excited that the football team hits the gridiron for the first time as a unit in the Jim Mora era next Tuesday afternoon (April 3) at Spaulding Field for the start of Spring Ball. The team will practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays over the next five weeks, culminating in our Blue vs. Gold Spring Game on May 5 at 5 pm at the Rose Bowl. Remember that all practices are open to the public - I hope to see all of you here at least once.

Ask Dan Guerrero
Q: Dan, as the football team gets ready to start spring practice next week, what tangible results are you looking for that Jim Mora is already moving the program in the right direction?
Gustavo Gonzalez

A: As I indicated at the press conference when Jim was hired in December, the first thing he needed to face head-on was changing the culture of the program. Almost four months in, there is no doubt that he has already begun to do so.

One of the first orders of business was to set the tone for the players. He did this in his first meeting with the team in the Acosta Center. For future meetings with the team in Acosta, he expected everyone to be on time, to always bring a pen and notebook with them and to be ready to learn. He talked about making a true commitment to being the best that they can be as football players and as students. He also challenged their willingness to pay the price to be great. Did they have what it takes? The answers to those questions have been evident in the early results of our off-season strength and conditioning program, with several players having gained much-needed weight, while body fat percentages have dropped, sometimes significantly.

Secondly, he compiled a hard-nosed, aggressive coaching staff with 70-plus years of playing or coaching experience in the NFL (not including his own 25 years at that level). Jim loves this staff, and they have been working tirelessly to get ready for spring ball. They can't wait ... and based on my conversations with some our players, neither can they.

Finally, Jim is opening up the depth chart at every position, in each phase of the game, thereby creating healthy competition for every position on the field. In Spring Ball, the coaches are looking to see not only who is ready to play at the level that we all desire, but who will step up to accept leadership roles on the team. This is especially true at the quarterback position, where they will see if one of the candidates for the position clearly emerges as the starter by the conclusion of Spring Ball.

The coaches have installed a new offense and a new defense. Spring Ball will give us a chance to see how well the players have adapted to the new schemes. The coaches want to see us play fast, with tempo and with tenacity.

Without the benefit of opponents and live competition, it will still be too early to see all the fruits of Jim's labor, but be assured that the mindset and culture of the team that hits Spaulding Field next week will be very different. And that is just the beginning.

Thank you all for your submissions - please know that each question submitted was read, and please don't forget to submit a question to questions@athletics.ucla.edu this week.

Go Bruins!

Dan Guerrero
Director of Athletics, UCLA

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