UCLA football: tailback Christian Ramirez not on trip
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Tailback Christian Ramirez did not accompany UCLA on its trip to Pullman (Wa.) to play Washington State. Team officials said it was a coaching decision. Ramirez, a junior, was the No. 1 tailback when training camp started in August. But injuries and poor play have seen him tumble to fifth on the depth chart. He has not played since fumbling against Arizona on Oct. 24 and was told after that game that coaches were going to look at the team’s other tailbacks.
His future seems murky, as UCLA has one tailback (Derrick Coleman), two redshirt freshmen (Johnathan Franklin and Milton Knox) and one first-year freshman (Damien Thigpen).
Franklin leads the team with 510 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Coleman, meanwhile, will start today against Washington State.
The tailback field is expected to get more crowded next season as Westlake Village Oak Christian’s Malcolm Jones and Corona’s Jordon James have committed to UCLA.
Ramirez has one year of eligibility remaining, but is scheduled to graduate in the spring.
-- Chris Foster