Published Dec 6, 2022
Zach Charbonnet, Laiatu Latu headline All-Pac-12 honorees for UCLA
Tracy McDannald
Staff writer

Eight UCLA football players earned All-Pac-12 Conference honors Tuesday headlined by first-team selections Zach Charbonnet and Laiatu Latu.

The remaining Bruins honored include second-team selections Atonio Mafi and Darius Muasau and honorable mention honorees Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jake Bobo, Stephan Blaylock and Jon Gaines II.

Charbonnet, UCLA’s star running back, leads the nation with 168 all-purpose yards per game. He twice ran for a career-high 198 yards this season en route to 1,359 total yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Latu, an edge rusher who transferred from Washington, has shined after coming back from a neck injury that once made him medically retire while in Seattle. The redshirt junior’s 9 1/5 sacks are tied for the 10th-best total in the country to go with a team-leading 11 tackles for a loss. Latu also is a semifinalist for Comeback Player of the Year Award, which presented by the College Sports Communicators.

Muasau, a transfer from Hawaii, solidified the middle linebacker spot for UCLA after a number of transfer portal defections on the defensive side of the ball. He is second on the team with 77 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and has two interceptions and a forced fumble on the season.

Mafi and Gaines II have been a steady presence along an experienced offensive line that got more consistent as the season went on. The unit’s best performance came during one of Charbonnet’s two missed games, as the line cleared the way for the Bruins to still run for a season-best 402 yards in a 50-36 win at Arizona State in early November.

Thompson-Robinson was among the best quarterbacks in a league littered with standout talent, including Pac-12 offensive player of the year and Heisman Trophy finalist Caleb Williams (USC) and second-team All-Pac-12 selection Michael Penix Jr. (Washington). The fifth-year senior was the country’s fifth-most accurate signal caller, completing 69.8 percent of his throws while passing for 2,883 yards and 25 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.

Thompson-Robinson also finished fifth in the conference in total offense, accounting for 292.8 yards per game. On the ground, he ran for 632 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Bobo transferred from Duke in the spring and quickly became Thompson-Robinson’s top target. Bobo led the team with 54 catches for 789 yards and seven touchdowns.

Blaylock has been one of the most reliable Bruins in recent years, logging 43 consecutive starts as the unquestioned leader of the secondary. This season, he ranks third on the team with 54 tackles (4 for a loss) to go with an interception.

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