Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips returns to UCLA with no regrets

LOS ANGELES — The best football memory Jaelan Phillips has as a Bruin came not far from this UCLA campus, in his first college game, a 45-44 defeat of Texas A&M in Pasadena.

The year was 2017 and UCLA somehow overcame a 34-point deficit and Phillips somehow recorded 1.5 sacks. Everything seemed as perfect as a Rose Bowl sunset.

"All went downhill from there," Phillips said Wednesday, wearing a Dolphins uniform and standing off to the side of a practice field he called home for fewer than two seasons.

Phillips smiled as he delivered the punchline. He usually does. Yes, there were some happy times playing college ball in his home state of California. But retiring from football after the third concussion of his life was a painful chapter.

Phillips would eventually resume his playing career at the University of Miami, of course.

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There were only 4.5 sacks and 10 games played at UCLA. But here now, back at UCLA in advance of a Sunday night game playing the Chargers, Phillips has a healthy perspective.

"Ultimately, I have no regrets about how everything went down," Phillips said. "I think it was all God's plan. It was all perfect. So yeah, it's a crazy journey for sure. But yeah, it feels great to be back."

Phillips, 23, is in his second season with the Dolphins. They looked past any medical history concerns and made him the 18th pick of the 2021 draft because of his enormous potential.

Phillips has taken an enormous leap and is making a huge pass-rush impact.

"He's a very talented human being, both physically and mentally, you know, there are cool layers to his personality," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. "He's just coming into his own, really, as a football player. And he'll continue and strive to get better each and every day, week, game and year."

Phillips is second on the team with five sacks, first with 16 quarterback hits and first with 22 quarterback pressures. The combination of edge rushers Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel is top-notch.

At SoFi Stadium and before a national audience on Sunday night, their target is 6-foot-6, 236-pound Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Thankfully, Phillips is 6-5, 263.

"Really athletic guy," Phillips said of Herbert. "Crazy strong arm. Deceptive speed. Long stride. It's going to be important to keep pass-rush lane integrity and rush as a team and play complementary football. The defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs, we all need to be on the same page."

When Phillips chose UCLA, he was the No. 1-ranked high school recruit in America. Phillips was raised in Redlands, California — 1½ to 3 hours east of Los Angeles, depending on traffic — and his father, aunt and grandparents all had connections to the school.

"This has a special place in my heart," Phillips said. "You know, obviously didn't work out with football, but there's no bad blood at all. Man, I'm just grateful to be back."

Phillips loves South Florida but really, really loved the lack of humidity at Wednesday's practice. And he really, really loves the wide variety of healthy food options in his native state.

Phillips said he'll have 91 family members at Sunday's game. His return to California coincides with an important off-field honor he received this week. Phillips was nominated as Miami Dolphins Walter Payton Man of the Year for his commitment to making a positive impact in his community.

"He really is talented enough to do a lot of things in life," McDaniel said. "Sky's the limit for that guy."

Contact Palm Beach Post sports reporter Joe Schad at jschad@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips returns to UCLA