Top UCLA cornerbacks Ishmael Adams and Fabian Moreau won't have a chance to play together this season. Adams, suspended since the beginning of the season, was reinstated Tuesday just as Bruins coach Jim Mora announced at a news conference that Moreau would miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.
Mora described the loss of Moreau as a "huge blow", per Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News. Moreau (6-foot, 200 pounds) had made eight tackles in three starts this season with one pass breakup. His experience, with 28 career starts, will be missed most; Moreau broke up eight passes and made 53 stops as a junior in 2014. The good news for Moreau? Having played in just three games this season, he qualifies -- just barely -- for a medical redshirt that would allow him to return to UCLA as a fifth-year senior in 2016 if he so chooses.
Before the season, NFL Media analyst Chad Reuter rated Moreau as a top-50 pick for the 2016 NFL Draft. Moreau will now have a decision to make after the season about whether to turn pro, weighing his rehabilitation from a season-ending injury with his option to return to the Bruins as a fifth-year senior.
Adams was suspended on Sept. 1, just before the season began, after being arrested on suspicion of robbery for allegedly using force to take a cell phone from an Uber driver. Though only a junior, Adams is about as experienced as Moreau with 26 career starts. He was reinstated after the Los Angeles District Attorney chose not to press felony charges.
Adams' reinstatement also adds a boost to the Bruins' return game. He has experience returning punts and kickoffs.
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