Matt Sykes ready to take on bigger role following spring breakout

Kyle Philips, Chase Cota and Delon Hurt were all missing by the time spring practices were winding down.

Someone had to step up – not because there were games to win, but just so the Bruins could have enough bodies to run their offense.

Matt Sykes saw his chance and grabbed it, stepping in as a first-team receiver for the back half of UCLA football's spring camp. He became one of the big winners of spring ball as a result, hauling in jump balls and goal line fades and making sure everyone took notice.

"With all those guys down in spring ball, I got a ton of reps," Sykes said Sunday. "It's just been mental repetition, just experience ... So yeah, I'm definitely more comfortable."

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, Sykes hauled in three receptions for 24 yards as a true freshman last year. The receiving corps this fall will be virtually the same as they were in 2020, minus outgoing transfers Jaylen Erwin and Charles Njoku – who combined for 61 yards on four catches – and adding Texas A&M transfer Kam Brown and his five receptions for 55 yards to the mix.

As a result, Sykes will be tossed right back into a still-crowded depth chart now that everyone is back to 100%. He said he spent the offseason working on his strength and conditioning, trying to make sure his spring leap wasn't all for naught.

Not just in terms of his own personal production though – also in regards to the Bruins' offensive success as a whole last year.

"I think my main goal coming in was to get faster," Sykes said. "We had player-led workouts, and just every day, we came out here and knew that we had a job to just get better and really prove that we could be a top team in the Pac-12. So I think the offseason workouts went well, for not only me, but the whole team."

Success in the fall is very different than success in the spring, however.

Sykes said he recognized the new challenges this year will pose, but credited the coaching staff and team leaders for helping him make that transition and carry his momentum into this upcoming season.

"Year two is definitely a big jump from year one," Sykes said. "Having spring ball under my belt, having (wide receivers coach) Jerry (Nueihisel) there to mentor me and having the older guys like Chase and Kyle. I'm getting more comfortable each and every day, especially in fall camp. So yeah, I'm excited for this year."

Philips said he and Cota are co-leaders in the receiver room, running the group chat and making sure the younger guys like Sykes know what it's like to be part of a player-led system.

That kind of culture has been showing up more off the field than on it for the time being, according to Philips, and he trusts that the mindset will eventually bleed into success in games as well.

"Coach Kelly’s saying is 'How you do the small things is how you do all things,'" Philips said. "In the locker room, if a guy’s not picking up after himself, we’ll take care of it or if lockers are left open, small things like that."

The hierarchy in every position group seems to be well-defined based on what each player has had to say since the start of fall camp.

Sykes said he's happy to fill any role his teammates and coaches decide is best, and that now it's his responsibility to improve in all possible aspects of the game before the season kicks off Aug. 28.

"I think I want to be that jack-of-all-trades," Sykes said. "But I'm just gonna do whatever coach Kelly wants me to do, whether that's helping to block, whether that's getting short yardage gains or even just taking the top off. But that's what we're working on every day in fall camp, so I'm excited."