UCLA Football Recruiting: Signing Day 2013 Primer
UCLA’s football recruiting class has gained a ton of ground so far, and with National Signing Day just days away, it’s likely that the Bruins could end up with a top-five class.
Of course, that’s no shocker to anyone at this point. When Jim Mora hopped on as head coach a little over a year ago, he brought along a staff that excelled in recruiting, a decidedly weak aspect of Mora’s head-coaching prowess.
With Adrian Klemm, Demetrice Martin, and Angus McClure spear-heading UCLA’s efforts on the recruiting trail, UCLA converted an inherited 2012 class ranked well into the 40s nationally into a top-15 class by February.
This year, UCLA is about one or two pieces from having the best class in the Pac-12. With that, let’s get you ready for National Signing Day 2013.
Who’s Committed?
Priest Willis, DB: Five-star. Tempe, AZ.
Tahaan Goodman, DB: Four-star. Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
Tyler Foreman, DB: Four-star. Encino, CA
Johnny Johnson, DB: Four-star. Fresno, CA.
Myles Jack, OLB: Four-star, Bellevue, WA.
Thomas Duarte, TE: Santa Ana, CA.
Poasi Moala, OL: Four-star, Moreno Valley, CA.
Caleb Benenoch, OL: Four-star, Katy, TX.
Alex Redmond, OL: Four-star, Los Alamitos, CA.
Kenneth Clark, DT: Four-star, Rialto, CA.
Kenny Lacy, OL: Four-star, Phoenix, AZ.
Deon Hollis, OLB: Four-star, Missouri City, TX.
Craig Lee, RB: Four-star, Redlands, CA.
Eldridge Massington, WR: Four-star, Mesquite, TX.
Scott Quessenberry, OL: Three-star, Encinitas, CA.
John Lopez, OL: Three-star, Orange, CA.
Mossi Johnson, DB: Three-star, Los Angeles, CA.
Jalen Ortiz, RB: Three-star, Peoria, AZ.
Jayon Brown, OLB: Three-star, Long Beach, CA.
Darren Andrews, WR: Three-star, La Puente, CA.
Sean Covington, P: Two-star, Saint Petersburg, FL.
Christian Morris, OL: Four-star, Memphis, TN. (Soft verbal, according to Scout)
Cameron Judge, OLB: Four star, Westlake Village, CA. (Soft verbal, according to Scout)
The Battleground
Our “likely to commit” picks:
Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, five-star, Auburn, CA: Pretty much every fan-base involved deep into Vanderdoes’ recruitment — Washington, Alabama, UCLA, USC and Notre Dame — have recently had rumors emerge that Vanderdoes cut his list and that he was a lean to that respective fan-base’s program. That’s no different, as there are now rumors that UCLA is a front-runner. That said, he did already decommit from USC once and also wants to stay close to home.
Kylie Fitts, DL, four-star, Redlands, CA: Fitts, on the other hand, seems to have clearer ties to UCLA and could be leaning west in his recruitment. The highly-touted defensive lineman was essentially pushed out of the roster by USC to accommodate for other players in early enrollment. USC is still an option though, according to Fitts.
Cornelius Elder, RB, four-star, Nashville, TN: We touched on Elder here, and it seems as if UCLA is looking as good for his services as ever, with Ohio State being the primary competition.
The toss-ups:
Asiantii Woulard, QB, four-star, Winter Park, FL: UCLA has emerged as a clear contender for Woulard’s commitment come Signing Day and it’s very possible that he winds up a Bruin. However, Clemson and Kentucky, and North Carolina State are all on Woulard’s final list.
Isaac Savaiinaea, MLB, four-star, Honolulu, HI: UCLA is locked in a tight recruiting battle with Texas A&M, which also has gone on a recruiting tear this offseason. (There’s storylines involving this battle, too, since UCLA fans notably scoffed at the possibility of current Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin taking over after Rick Neuheisel was fired.) The Bruins have stiff competition with the Aggies picking up recruits left and right.