UCLA football Coach Jim Mora expects Kenneth Walker to catch on

UCLA’s quarterback position is one of the most secure in college football. Josh Rosen will be given wide leeway to control the offense in the fall.

But UCLA still must address a pressing question before it opens against Texas A&M in September: who will be on the receiving end of Rosen’s passes?

UCLA lost four of its top five pass catchers from last season: Jordan Payton, Thomas Duarte, Devin Fuller and running back Paul Perkins.

Coach Jim Mora expects help to come from a player who, last season, was often an afterthought for Rosen — Kenneth Walker III.

As a junior, Walker caught nine passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. He was just eighth on the team in receptions last season. But Mora predicts a breakout

“He could be one of the surprises in the country this year,” Mora said. “I know that’s a really, really big statement to make. I just got a gut feeling about the kid.”

Walker is a speedy and explosive athlete. His hands have been the problem. Walker dropped the first throw of Rosen’s college career, a perfectly placed 55-yard strike.

Redemption took a while, finally arriving in the last game of the season when Walker caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Rosen.

Consistency has followed in the spring.

“Kenny’s problems have not been getting open. His problem has never been speed,” Mora said. “We’ve all seen at times that he doesn’t catch the ball as consistently as you’d like, but the last few weeks, he just has.”

Rosen’s other targets are expected to include the experienced (junior Eldridge Massington) and the inexperienced (freshman Theo Howard). Mora has also gotten creative.

This spring, he converted defensive back Ishamel Adams into a receiver.

Adams has been a playmaker as a returner and after interceptions. Mora called him “an electric guy when he has the ball in his hands.”

Adams was impressive enough as a receiver during spring practices that Mora said a return to defense is unlikely.

“Ish looks like he’s going to be such a threat offensively you don’t want to overload him too much,” Mora said.

USC’s QB quandary

Following USC’s spring practices, Coach Clay Helton announced the Trojans’ quarterback competition would extend into the summer.

How far into the summer?

Helton said Tuesday he may not name a starter until a week before USC’s first game, against Alabama at Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 3.

“It’ll be prior to us going into that game week,” Helton said. “And hopefully earlier.”

APR race

USC defeated UCLA on the field last season. Now it has added another bragging right.

Last week, the NCAA released Academic Progress Rates (APRs) for the 2014-15 academic year. USC’s football team, with a score of 973, bested UCLA’s 963.

UCLA has a higher multiple-year rate (972) than USC (959).

APR is generally considered a better indicator of academic success than graduation rate because it considers a variety of factors. A multiple-year score of less than 930 can result in penalties such as scholarship or practice reductions.

No Pac-12 Conference team scored below that threshold, though Arizona (916) scored well below for the single year.