BOOM! 4-Star Athlete DeChaun Holiday Commits To UCLA

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Anthony Jefferson (23) celebrates with defensive back Tahaan Goodman (21) after intercepting a pass in the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Confirming one of the rare sure things in the 2015 recruiting cycle, 4-star ATH DeChaun Holiday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) tonight announced his commitment to UCLA on local TV in San Diego. Long considered a lock to become a Bruin, Holiday tweeted last week that he had scheduled his announcement for a few hours after his official visit to UCLA ended, indicating that a visit to Westwood would be all he needed to complete in order affirm his desire to become a Bruin. That indeed turned out to be the case. With his commitment, Holiday becomes one of the crown jewels of UCLA’s 2015 recruiting class.

Holiday is a top 100 recruit nationally who would be a 4-star recruit at cornerback, safety, and wide receiver. He is the kind of dynamic athlete whom a school brings in with its class first and asks questions later about which position he’ll ultimately play. Coach Jim Mora and his staff at UCLA will be absolutely thrilled to have landed an elite player of Holiday’s caliber.

UCLA Bruins

Holiday has long been projected by the recruiting services as a defensive back and UCLA would likely try Holiday first at cornerback, where, as Bruin fans saw in the Alamo Bowl, the team has a desperate need for a lockdown player who can shut down an opponent’s best receiver. However, at 6’3″, 200 lbs as a high school senior and given the likelihood that he’ll only add weight and bulk once in Sal Alosi‘s strength and conditioning program in Westwood, Holiday might simply be too big to play corner and could very well project best as a safety on the next level.

The newest Bruin joins fellow athletes Stephen Johnson III (San Leandro, CA/San Leandro) and Octavius Spencer (Monrovia, CA/Monrovia) as players who UCLA will bring onto campus in the summer and experiment with their positions in order to determine the best fit of each on the team for the next four years. Regardless of where he ends up playing for UCLA though, Holiday will be someone who makes his presence felt on the field in a big way once he finds his way into the playing rotation.

Welcome to Westwood, DeChaun! We can’t wait to see the havoc you’re going to wreak on opposing offenses or defenses!