Tight end Caleb Wilson expected to be key weapon for UCLA

Caleb Wilson held his arms upright as he walked back toward the huddle near the end of a recent practice, pleading with quarterback Josh Rosen not to forget about him.

Rosen had just forced a pass into coverage that fell incomplete while Wilson contemplated yards of open space around him in the middle of the field.

Wilson probably doesn’t have to worry about getting lost in UCLA’s new offense. The sophomore tight end might possess the most reliable hands among Bruins pass catchers, and his improved blocking has prompted coaches to include him as part of their “jumbo” packages that call for brute force in short-yardage situations.

“In the run game I used to get a little nervous because I was on the lighter end,” said Wilson, who now packs 237 pounds onto his 6-foot-5 frame, “but I’ve gotten stronger and I’ve gotten better with my hands.”

That development began more than a decade ago when Wilson’s father, Chris, started coaching defensive ends with the Oklahoma Sooners. Instead of watching his dad’s games, Caleb would peel off to a corner of the field to throw the ball with the other coaches’ sons.

“I’ve just always had a football in my hands,” Wilson said, “always been playing catch.”

Wilson threw a pass in practice last week after taking a lateral from Rosen, but he figures to be mostly on the receiving end. Wilson caught 16 passes for 220 yards last season, trailing only Nate Iese’s 25 catches among UCLA’s tight ends. Iese’s departure leaves Wilson and Austin Roberts as the only returning tight ends with game experience.

The Bruins have added reinforcements with freshmen Jimmy Jaggers and Moses Robinson-Carr as well as Michigan transfer Devin Asiasi, who must sit out this season before becoming eligible. Freshman Jordan Wilson (no relation to Caleb) is also expected to contribute after redshirting last season and gaining 35 pounds.

Tight ends should be heavily featured by new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch if his recent history is any indication. When Fisch was the passing-game coordinator at Michigan, Jake Butt won the Mackey Award in 2016 as the top tight end in the nation.

“It’s a group we’re counting on,” UCLA tight-ends coach Rip Scherer said. “We’re going to have the capability in coach Fisch’s offense to utilize multiple tight ends if we’re good enough to handle the responsibilities.”

Leading the way will be Caleb Wilson, whose curious gait results from unusually long legs.

“He runs a little funny and guys have fun with him,” Scherer said, “but somehow, the ball finds him.”

That happened during the same practice in which Wilson held his arms aloft to get Rosen’s attention. On the next play, Wilson found a pass headed his way.

Grappling with success

Osa Odighizuwa was a three-time state wresting champion in high school, developing skills that have helped accelerate his rise as a defensive lineman in college.

“I never really thought about it before,” Odighizuwa said, “but now looking back, wrestling translates a lot with football, looking at different pass-rush moves and how they look like different wrestling moves, like setups and takedowns and things like that.”

Odighizuwa has been one of the young standouts of training camp, putting the redshirt freshman in position to contribute as part of what’s expected to be a deep rotation of defensive linemen. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Odighizuwa can play both defensive tackle and defensive end, providing him with multiple ways of participating in games.

Odighizuwa also comes with a winning pedigree. His brother Owamagbe played defensive end at UCLA before becoming a third-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 2015. Osa said he’s spoken more regularly with his brother since he moved to the NFL because Owamagbe’s schedule allows for more free time in the offseason.

“I look to him for advice a lot more than I did in high school,” Osa said, “because it’s a tougher game [in college] so I need more guidance.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch