Where is Mique Juarez?

The biggest question – and the most compelling storyline – surrounding UCLA football right now has very little to do with football.

Juarez didn’t show up for the Bruins’ opening practice in San Bernardino Monday morning, marking his fourth straight missed session and only intensifying speculation that the highly touted freshman linebacker had left the program or was planning to quit football.

Coach Jim Mora, who would only say Saturday that Juarez’s absence was ‘excused,’ said after the Monday morning practice that nothing had changed.

Then, during an afternoon appearance on the Petros and Money radio show, Mora said Juarez was with the team in San Bernardino and would likely participate in the team’s second practice of the day.

End of story, right?

Not exactly. Juarez was nowhere to be found at the Bruins’ evening practice, and afterward, linebackers coach Scott White deflected questions about the freshman.

“That would be a question for coach Mora,” White said when asked for an update on the situation.

White did say that the coaching staff had at least been in touch with Juarez.

“He’ll be just fine,” White said. “We’ve been in contact – it’s not like he’s out somewhere, we’ve been in contact with him.”

Doing it in the Dino

Both Mora and sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen said it was nice to be in San Bernardino for the team’s second week of fall practice.

“It eliminates distractions,” Rosen said. “At UCLA we had to tune out a lot of noise – we had youth soccer camps going on around us, we saw some other UCLA athletes in the training room and stuff … So we get here and get to tune out and just kind of be together with your team and get better.”

After spending both weeks of fall camp in San Bernardino in each of his previous years at the helm, Mora shortened the Bruins’ time in San Bernardino to just one week this year, scheduling the first week in Westwood.

He said that change helped the Bruins appreciate the time in San Bernardino.

“I think they’re genuinely excited about being here this year, and I think that’s because we cut it down a little bit,” Mora said. “That was the point of cutting it down a little bit – to make this really a very concentrated, special six days up here in this environment, where we can really grow together as a team.”

The temperatures for the first two San Bernardino practices were around 90 degrees, cooler than the midday high of 105 degrees. Mora, for his part, said it didn’t matter.

“I don’t really pay attention to the weather and I don’t want them to pay attention to the weather – it’s something we can’t control,” Mora said. “If that becomes the focus, then it takes the focus off of what needs to be the focus, which is football.”

Middle linebacker update

White said after practice that the competition for the starting middle linebacker spot was still a three-way battle between senior Isaako Savaiinaea, junior Kenny Young and freshman Lokeni Toailoa.

“It’s wide open,” White said. “They’ll battle it out every day. We’re just looking for guys that can get in there and command the defense, command the unit and run things.”

Toailoa, a four-star recruit whose body is already fairly filled out, has played himself into the conversation for the starting role with a strong camp showing.

“He’s been fantastic since he stepped on campus, he’s a very mature kid,” White said. “This isn’t too much for him – I mean, we’re throwing a lot at these guys and he just handles it in stride. Is he perfect yet? No, but he has a great demeanor and a great presence about him.”