Orange County Register

UCLA offensive guard Micah Kia will miss the season after MRI results revealed he has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The senior had been competing for the starting left guard position with true freshman Stanley Hasiak.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said. “The good news for Micah is he has a redshirt year.”

Then Neuheisel added, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

Redshirt junior lineman Sean Sheller seems to be learning that same lesson. Again.

In three seasons Sheller has yet to play a down for the Bruins. His first two years were lost to a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He missed last season with a knee injury stemming from an ATV accident.

This past spring Sheller, finally healthy, started at left or right tackle the entire camp. But when fall practice opened last week, Sheller was working with the third string. He still doesn’t know why.

“I’m confused,” Sheller said. “I never really got an explanation. I have no clue what’s going on. I kind of didn’t feel like it was my place to ask. If the coaches didn’t think I wasn’t good enough to be first string, they’d know.”

Neuheisel attributed Sheller’s demotion to the influx of new players on the offensive line, which includes two true freshmen and a JC transfer. They then seem to beat out Sheller, seeing that Neuheisel approached him at the beginning of this week and asked him to switch to defensive tackle.

“He’s a total team player,” Neuheisel said. “From fighting back from the injuries he’s sustained to now being of use on the defense. If need be he’d come back over and have the right attitude.”

Sheller, who has not played on defense since 2005, struggled while working with the second string Thursday. He is still very much learning his new position but has welcomed the move thus far.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” he said. “I really wasn’t doing much with the offense. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m here for the team. I’m not disappointed at all.”

He also said he would embrace a switch back to offense, especially in light of Kia’s injury.

“I’m an O-lineman at heart, but I would love to play any side of the ball,” Sheller said. “If they feel like they aren’t going to need me I hope they send me back to offense where I can earn my spot back. It’s just not my call.”

Offensive line coach Bob Palcic said Sheller will be staying put.

“Sheller will stay over with the defense,” Palcic said. “They really need some depth over there and I’m comfortable with the guys I have left.”

More from the UCLA blog:

• UCLA football: Injury updates
• Football: Kia has a torn ACL
• Basketball: Memphis’ penalty too late to help UCLA
• Football: Price has company on Rotary Lombardi watch list
• Football: Tony Dye does not have a concussion
• Football: Wide receiver race remains wide open
• Football: MRI will reveal extent of Kia’s injury
• Football: Kia becomes latest offensive lineman to go down
• Football: No. 2 quarterback spot still up for grabs
• Football: DE Stokes still weighing his options for surgery

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