Last year the UCLA Bruins were dreadful at running the football. They finished the 2024 with the third-fewest rushing yards per game in the entire country at only 86.6 yards-per game, ahead of only Colorado and Kent State. While you can’t put all of the blame on the UCLA running back room, it’s an area of the team that will need to improve in 2025.
The Bruins’ leading rusher from a season ago, TJ Harden, is gone after transferring to SMU. UCLA’s second leading rusher, Keegan Jones, has graduated from the program after being with the Bruins since 2019. Jalen Berger, UCLA’s third leading rusher remains with the team but is also likely to remain as a complementary piece in the running back room.
That’s because of the addition of Jaivian Thomas, who came to the Bruins after spending the last two seasons with the Cal Bears, where he averaged 6.2 yards-per-carry over 118 carries. Thomas is projected to take over the role as the Bruins’ lead back but he’ll be joined by Berger, redshirt seniors Anthony Frias II and Anthony Woods along with freshman Karson Cox.
Frias had 15 carries with the Bruins in 2024 after spending his first two seasons with Kansas State. Woods had a productive two seasons with Idaho and redshirted with Utah in 2024 before transferring to UCLA. Cox comes to the Bruins from Oak Hills High School as the four-star recruit has a chance to stick around for the Bruins as a power back, being listed at 5’11” and 215 lbs.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Cal transfer Jaivian Thomas projected to take over as UCLA’s lead back in 2025
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
