UCLA Football Recruiting: Latest Speculation On Eddie Vanderdoes

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Eddie Vanderdoes, the top-rated defensive tackle in the country and one of the more coveted players in the nation overall, has been the speculation of boundless rumors throughout his recruitment.

While Vanderdoes — a five-star defensive tackle out of Auburn, CA — was committed to USC Trojans, there was talk that an official visit to UCLA, and then a subsequent visit to UW, caused Vanderdoes internal conflict, forcing him to decommit from the Trojans’ 2013 recruiting class. At the time of his decommitment, UCLA, USC, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Washington Huskies were figured to be the leading candidates for Vanderdoes’ services.

Since that time, Vanderdoes has been rumored to have re-committed twice, and both times, rumors were squashed promptly. Rumors have also surfaced that UCLA was out of the running for Vanderdoes’ commitment but that rumor, too, has been subsequently discredited.

The newest rumor regarding Vanderdoes? He has eliminated USC as an option, leaving UCLA as his front-runner.

Fans who are more in tune with recruiting tweeted at GJB:

Of course, we know what you’re thinking, dear reader: These are probably just fans on message boards, after all. Fans are self-serving and will always see their program as the front-runner for an elite recruit’s services, even if evidence is going towards a counterargument.

And that’s a fair assumption. These rumors could be unsubstantiated.

But it’s important to note that @BiGbAdBeNyO has relayed inside information (for all his fandom, this much is true), and called the commitment of Willis and Goodman days before they announced their decisions. Message board banter can be out of whack but it isn’t as if the message boards aren’t receiving info from legitimate reporters. According to @BiGbAdBeNyO, various renowned recruiting analysts are all predicting Vanderdoes is headed to UCLA.

Nothing is clear, though. As we’ve said before, the rumors regarding a recommitment to USC on the part of Vanderdoes were similarly squashed and the way recruiting works, nothing is set in stone. Even further, Vanderdoes has made it a point to eliminate the media entirely and so rumors and sources can only hold so much weight.

Five more days ’til Signing Day. Before Vanderdoes puts pen to paper, all rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.