National Signing Day 2015 has come and gone and for the UCLA football team, there is reason to celebrate. The Jim Mora-lead Bruins hauled in their biggest class to date that included four #1 nationally ranked players: Josh Rosen, Soso Jamabo , Fred Ulu-Perry and Chris Clark. With that UCLA found themselves among the top 10 classes in the country.
Then you have USC that had rightfully earned the #1 class with such commits as Iman Marshall, Ronald Jones II and Rasheem Green. Well deserved and well played, Trojans.
With that came the delusion Trojans suffer from in thinking they are in position to do anything significant anytime soon. It also plays into their belief that UCLA is once again a doormat. In the last few days, USC fans (mostly bandwagon, because true football fans can see the value of what individual teams achieve in both recruiting and in actual games… just ask Snoop Dogg) have claimed that USC is back on top, that UCLA can’t “sniff” USC’s class and that their new crop of football players will lead them to championship upon championship. Okay, sure.
UCLA Bruins
There are two things to that:
1. Most of these recruits will not see significant playing time for 2 to 3 years.
2. Recruiting “titles” are great, but having a proper coaching staff is even better.
Let me put it this way, UCLA is one hell of a position to do great things with Jim Mora. USC, well they Sark’d it.
In Mora’s first year, he took a Bruin team that went 6-8 in the previous season and turned them into a 9-5 team. He took a smaller pool of talent and develop them into a force to be reckoned with. That allowed Mora to hit the recruiting trail hard which brought in more and more talent to Westwood. The result, the best recruiting class for UCLA in a long time, if not all-time.
Think about that.
Jim Mora has been successful with lesser talent. Now imagine what he will do with some of the best talent in the nation. It is mind blowing.
Nov 1, 2014; Pullman, WA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian reacts in the first half against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Now as far as the coach from across town, Steve Sarkisian, it says something when UCLA fans not only approve of his hire, but jokingly call for an extension. There is a reason he was given the moniker “7-Win Sark” during his time as head coach at Washington. In his five seasons as head Husky, he averaged seven wins a year and only once won more than that in a season, his last.
This past year at USC was his first and he did manage to win nine games, but that statistic is a bit skewed. His nine wins came against teams that collectively went 56-59. His losses were against teams that had a combined record of 36-16.
He let Boston College run over them, his team couldn’t knock down a Hail Mary pass against Arizona State, he failed to hold back a tough Utah team and was absolutely dismantled by UCLA 38-20. Those games had serious coaching flaws which directly lead to Trojan losses.
It gets even better for USC (well, better for UCLA really). A few days ago, Sarkisian hired former Oklahoma State offensive line coach Bob Connelly. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he was the O-line coach at UCLA under former coach Karl Dorrell in 2007. That was Dorrell’s last year after going 6-7.
So if you are worried about USC rising once again, hold that fear for when the Trojans hire a man that can actually fulfill their expectations. Sarkisian is not a bad coach, he is just not a great one.
As for Mora and UCLA, I doubt they are worried about that. Right now, their only concern is with the progress of the Bruin Revolution, which if you did not know, is real and in full affect.
But good job on winning the recruiting “title”, USC.
Go Bruins!
Oct 25, 2014; Boulder, CO, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora watches his team warm up prior to game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY Sports