Here’s our discussion with BruinBlitz.com Publisher Rick Kimbrel who offers his perspective on the Pac-12 decision to delay the football season to the spring, and the implications it may have on the UCLA program.
DevilsDigest: What do you make of the Pac-12’s decision to postpone fall football?
Rick Kimbrel: “I’m not privy to the information that they have. I hear that they talk about a heart condition (Myocarditis) that players can get. But I also found out that it’s the same kind of condition that you can get with any flu. I’m not an attorney. I don’t know precedent that they’re opening up in case somebody gets sick for just the flu, for example.
“By (temporarily) closing things down, I’m against it. And I did a lot of research about pandemics. We had a real bad one in 1957. Over a million people died across the planet. And we’re talking about a time where people were just repopulating the planet after 50 million or so were exterminated in World War Two, either through battle or through other horrific events it brought to the world. So, they’re starting to get the population back. They lost a million people from 1957 to 1958. America lost … I think it was 120,000 which would equivalent to about 180,000 in today’s population. So, we’re kind of approaching that now with this pandemic, but they never shut anything down. College Football went off. It’s not sitting well with me, to be honest with you.”
DevilsDigest: How does this resolution affect UCLA, in your opinion?
Rick Kimbrel: “I think honestly, it’s going to affect the entire league; it’s more than just one team. Especially when it comes to recruiting. And I think it’s going to hurt down the line too. We’ve been having a hard time keeping some of our unique players playing in the Pac-12 over the last few years anyway. I know this decision can’t help it, but it may hurt even more.”
DevilsDigest: What storylines were you excited about covering with the 2020 UCLA football team?
Rick Kimbrel: “I was looking forward to seeing the emergence of Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The only thing that he lacks is consistency, and that’s huge for a quarterback. But he has a boatload of talent, and when he’s playing up to his potential, he’s hard to stop. And I think that for me, was the biggest thing - I wanted to see if Dorian Thompson-Robinson had taken that next step in his development, which would be consistency. Are we playing at the top of his game? Mentally, Chip Kelly says that he’s one of the toughest players he’s ever coached. And so, I was really looking forward to that.
“I was looking forward to seeing if they could play some defense with the new coaches. They brought In Brain Norwood from Navy, Johnny Nansen from USC. I was looking forward to seeing the defense because the defense has been atrocious over the last few years. That put a lot of added pressure on a young quarterback. When you feel you have to score every time if you’re going to win a football game, that’s not good. So that was what I was really looking forward to. And I was also looking forward to seeing who’s going to replace (running back) Joshua Kelley’s production.
“I wanted to see if the Bruins were ever going to get back in the win column for a season. But again, I don’t want to see anybody get sick. I understand that it’s serious, but we have to not ruin our society. Here’s another important thing I wanted to see. Was Chip Kelly going to look more like Chip Kelly all UCLA fans hoped at the beginning.”
DevilsDigest: What do you think this decision does for UCLA’s recruiting?
Rick Kimbrel: “It’s really slowed it down. They did pick up an offensive lineman graduate transfer from Villanova (Paul Grattan), who they say has NFL ability. But I don’t know if he’s going to stay now because when he came to UCLA because at that point, the Pac-12 was going to play. And then about two days later they come out and say ‘no, we’re not.’”
DevilsDigest: Do you think the other Power 5 conferences will get through their seasons and how will it impact the Pac-12 if they do?
Rick Kimbrel: “I think they’re going to find a way to do it, I give it better than a 75 percent chance. Just because I think they want to prove us wrong. This is almost divided by politics. All this stuff is going to mesh in, I think. I think it’s going to help the teams that play. It’s going to hurt the teams that don’t. We’ll see. If they don’t go, they’re going to look worse than the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. People would ask those (three other conferences) what were they trying to do? But here’s the big risk with the teams that are playing. If one coach, one player, gets sick and dies, that’s a real horrible optic that will be really hard to overcome.”
DevilsDigest: Do you think the Pac-12’s season can be played in the spring?
Rick Kimbrel: “We’re lucky in the west. There are only a few schools where it can get pretty brutal in January through March. Washington State, Washington, Utah, and Colorado. It’s doable. But I don’t think the Big Ten can. I mean, Wisconsin. Are you kidding me? Camp Randall in January and February? They’re thinking about people’s health, and then this is why I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think they’re just going to can the season. This is my opinion. And just everybody has to take a redshirt. How is the optics of playing this game, two hardcore seasons, in one calendar year?”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
(Jesse Morrison contributed to this article)
