A trio of former UCLA football Bruins were named Pro Bowl alternates this week after zero past Bruins were named Pro Bowlers on Thursday.
The Green Bay Packers’ defensive tackle Kenny Clark, the Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and Kansas Chiefs running back Carson Steele were all named alternates.
Steele led the fan vote for the AFC fullback position for much of the voting process but the Pro Bowlers are selected by a combination of the fan vote, player voting and coach voting. While the fans had Steele’s back, ultimately it was the Baltimore Ravens’ fullback Patrick Ricard who earned the nod. Steele’s numbers compare favorably to Ricard’s (158 rushing yards for Steele, compared to 0 from Ricard) but Ricard is used as a traditional fullback, where Steele filled in for Kansas City at running back earlier in the season as the team dealt with injuries.
Fairbairn was named the 4th alternate among AFC kickers despite setting an NFL record for 50+ yard field goals made in a season with 13. Fairbairn has cooled off since his phenomenal start to the season, missing his only extra point of the season and having five of his six field goal misses since Halloween.
Clark, already a three-time Pro Bowler, was named as an alternate for the NFC and is also the Packers’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The defensive tackle has started all 16 games for the Packers with 35 total tackles and four tackles for losses.
Depending on how injuries and the playoffs shake out, UCLA could see a few former Bruins in the Pro Bowl games in Orlando this February.