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UCLA Football Recruiting: Aaron Hansford Spurns Bruins for Texas A&M

By Matt Wagner

Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Jordan Payton scores on an 18-yard touchdown reception the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Jordan Payton scores on an 18-yard touchdown reception the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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UCLA Football missed on a big commitment on National Signing Day, as uber-athletic Aaron Hansford picks Texas A&M over the Bruins.

UCLA Football missed on their first big commitment today from 4-star OLB/WR Aaron Hansford (Washington, DC/St. John’s College HS).

The DC product is a very versatile, and he projects to have the ability to play multiple positions, but those skills will develop at College Station as opposed to Westwood.

In my personal opinion, his tape looks better at OLB than WR, but he can definitely be developed on the offensive side of the ball when he arrives at Texas A&M.

At the end of Hansford’s recruiting process, it came down to the Bruins and Texas A&M. One big concern for the Bruins in regards to Hansford’s recruiting, is his relationship with former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. Mazzone was very open to letting Hansford play his preferred position of WR at UCLA, and when Mazzone left to A&M, the big elephant in the room was whether or not that relationship would translate to Hansford signing with the Aggies.

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Ultimately he choose the Mazzone path.

If he plays wide receiver he would bring sure hands to his unit, but he is raw with regards to route running.

At linebacker meanwhile, he is very good against the read option and he would excel in blitz packages off the edge. One issue though is he needs to improve his ability to get off blocks quickly. Look for his strength to improve in the coming years with the Aggies — he currently is 6’2″, 210 LBS — and with a 4.51 40 time, he has the speed to do well in college football.

Though the Bruins missed out on Hansford, they still have five receivers committed to the 2016 class, so it is not a complete loss. Good luck in College Station, Hansford!