Sep 13, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Deon Hollins (58) celebrates at the end of the game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium. UCLA Bruins beat Texas Longhorns 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Having just finished the 2015 regular season, UCLA football now can turn its full attention to recruiting and putting the finishing touches on its 2016 class. With 19 of the spaces in the class already filled, the Bruins will only be looking to take a few more players to finish things off and have a few high-profile targets in mind for those last few spots.
With the Offensive Big Board having come out last Monday, it’s now time to see how things are shaping up at the defensive positions in UCLA’s 2016 recruiting class.
DEFENSIVE END
Not too long ago, the 2016 class looked like it was going to be a banner one for UCLA at defensive end, as the Bruins looked to be in fantastic position during the summer to land a number of blue-chip recruits like 5-star Oluwole Betiku (Gardena, CA/Serra), 4-star Bryson Young (Clovis, CA/Buchanan), and 4-star Carlo Kemp (Boulder, CO/Fairview). However, for a multitude of reasons, those recruitments fell apart and UCLA now looks likely to land only two defensive ends. Unfortunately, neither of them projects to have the upside to be dominant players on the college level, though both could be solid contributors.
UCLA’s lone defensive end commit at the moment is 3-star Marcus Moore (Encino, CA/Crespi). At 6’2″, 240, Moore actually faces many of the same issues with size as current UCLA defensive lineman Ainuu Taua. Moore is currently an undersized but athletic defensive lineman with good agility, balance, strength, and a very high motor.
He still can add weight on his frame, which he will need to do in order to hold up to the rigors of being a defensive lineman in the Pac-12. As a likely redshirt candidate who will need time to fill out his body, he projects as an effective interior pass rusher after a couple of years of work in Sal Alosi‘s strength and conditioning program. If all goes right with Moore, he could be the quick defensive tackle on passing downs who gets after the quarterback in the same way Keenan Graham did for the Bruins’ defense in 2012.
The other defensive end solidly in play for UCLA is 3-star Nahje Flowers (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey). While Flowers has solid measurables to work with, he would have a lot of development to undergo before he would become even a depth player in Westwood, especially in terms of get-off at the snap. Flowers could also very easily end up on the offensive line.
Next: Defensive Tackle
Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Kenny Clark (97) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. UCLA defeated Arizona State 62-27. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
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With the high likelihood that probable 1st-round pick and current UCLA star nose tackle Kenny Clark foregoes his senior season to enter to 2016 NFL draft and the lingering possibility that injured lineman Eddie Vanderdoes might still make that choice as well, the Bruins find themselves in desperate need of talent, especially of the instant impact variety, on the interior defensive line starting in 2016.
UCLA received one of its earliest commitments in the class from Osa Odighizuwa (Portland, OR/Douglas), the younger brother of recent Bruin defensive line star Owa Odighizuwa. Strangely enough, despite his bloodlines, Osa profiles less like his brother, who was a 5-star recruit and one of the most remarkable physical specimens as a recruit in recent memory, and more like a smaller version of the aforementioned Kenny Clark.
Osa lacks an explosive get-off from the snap, but has great strength and plays with good leverage. Like Clark was in high school, Osa is a decorated high school wrestler in Oregon and it shows in his balance and the use of his hands.
Needing tackle depth that was more likely to contribute immediately in 2016, the Bruins went out in October and landed junior college lineman Nick Terry (Elk Grove, CA/American River C.C.). Terry shows the ability to be an instant depth player at the very least in his film, exhibiting the powerful hands, strong base, and surprising agility necessary to be a solid Pac-12 defensive tackle.
Of the uncommitted recruits still remaining for UCLA, there is a very convincing argument to be made that 4-star nose tackle Boss Tagaloa (Concord, CA/De La Salle) is the most important for the Bruins to reel in. With his size, strength, agility, and low center of gravity, Tagaloa can be the multi-year fixture at nose tackle that is the fulcrum of any truly successful 3-4 defense. Having offered him when he was just a high school sophomore, UCLA is Tagaloa’s long-time favorite school and despite a recent offer from USC, it has seemed likely for a while that Bruin defensive line coach Angus McClure‘s persistence in recruiting Tagaloa will result in the best defensive tackle in the West choosing to be a Bruin when Signing Day rolls around.
24/7’s Crystal Ball has the Bruins as a consensus favorite to land Tagaloa.
Next: Linebacker
Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Myles Jack (30) celebrates a play against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. UCLA defeated Arizona State 62-27. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
LINEBACKER
Coming off a 2015 class in which the Bruins landed only Joshua Woods as a true linebacker, UCLA linebacker coach Scott White needed to load up with much-needed reinforcements in the 2016 class. And load up he did from the earliest moments of the class, as he went out and secured the Bruins three blue-chip linebacker commitments for 2016 before the ink was even fully dried on letters of intent of the 2015 class.
At inside linebacker, White wrapped up the two best mikes in the state by the end of March. Of course, he had the fortune of landing two players who were a camp circuit tandem and close friends who basically committed one after the other. The first of those two was 4-star Krys Barnes (Bakersfield, CA/Liberty), who had such an instant rapport with Coach White that by the time UCLA offered Barnes a scholarship in mid-March, Barnes instantly committed on the spot to the Bruins. Barnes is a fantastic inside linebacker prospect with outstanding athleticism who can cover sideline-to-sideline.
The thunder to Barnes’s lightning on Team Ground Zero of the 7-on-7 camp circuit was fellow 4-star Bruin commit Lokeni Toailoa (Rialto, CA/Carter), who committed to UCLA a week after Barnes did. Toailoa is a hard-nosed tackling machine and defensive general who plays with a physical edge that sets him apart from nearly every other linebacker in the West in 2016. He plays the linebacker position with a tenacity and violence that make him a tackling machine and an intimidator in the middle of the field.
In addition to the two inside linebackers, UCLA has a commitment from an outside linebacker in 4-star Breland Brandt (Los Angeles, CA/Windward School). Brandt was UCLA’s first commit in the class of 2016 — way back in October 2014 — and deserves a ton of credit for being absolutely steadfast in his commitment, never even slightly wavering or considering other schools since pledging to the Bruins.
Early on in the recruiting process, Brandt was rated as a consensus 5-star recruit based almost solely on his elite size and absurd athleticism, which made him a coveted basketball recruit as well before he decided to stick to football. However, his rating dropped off because he simply wasn’t dominant enough in game action for someone with his pedigree against very low-level high school competition.
Brandt is one of those players who will be as good as he wants to be and hasn’t fully realized yet how limitless his potential really is. He will be joining UCLA as a rush end, which is better known to most UCLA fans as the “Anthony Barr” position. If everything clicks with Brandt, then the Bruin faithful will be reminded of Barr in more ways than one.
As far as uncommitted linebacker recruits go, Scott White has been locked into a singular goal since the spring: reel in the commitment of Mique Juarez (Torrance, CA/North).
Juarez is, without a doubt, the highest-rated overall recruit remaining on the board for UCLA. Following up on an absolutely remarkable junior season in which Juarez basically played every possible position under the sun to a very high level, Juarez elevated himself to a consensus 5-star linebacker prospect who draws constant comparisons to Myles Jack. And his senior season has only amplified the belief that Juarez is destined for instant superstardom at the college level, as he was a two-way force at quarterback and linebacker for North High School:
And luckily for Bruin fans, it is well known that Juarez comes from an ardently pro-UCLA family:
"4's up great time with Coach Mora & Coach white!"
With a Bruin family in his corner and the Bruin coaches pursuing him with maximum vigor and relentlessness, it’s no surprise that both 24/7’s Crystal Ball and Go Joe Bruin’s humble recruiting writer believe that Juarez is going to be a Bruin when it’s all said and done. If Juarez does in fact pick UCLA, then go ahead and pencil him in as a starter when the Bruins open their 2016 season on September 3, 2016 at Texas A&M.
Next: Cornerback
Oct 31, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Devin Ross (right) is unable to make a catch while defended by UCLA Bruins defensive back Ishmael Adams (left) during the fourth quarter at Rose Bowl. The UCLA Bruins won 35-31. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
CORNERBACK
Transitioning from the recruit with the most UCLA voices in his ear on this list to the one with the least, 4-star athlete Jack Jones (Long Beach, CA/Poly) is the player who can best be labeled the bellwether of UCLA’s 2016 class. The only cornerback that seems to be on UCLA’s radar at the moment, Jones is the type of player that the Bruins are sorely lacking at the moment, with a comprehensive skillset that is spookily similar to that of fellow electric jitterbug Adoree Jackson:
While Juarez is a more gifted physical specimen, Jones is the player who would create an earthquake in recruiting circles if he ended up picking UCLA over USC. Jones might as well bleed USC’s colors with the amount of Trojan influences in his life. From his high school football program (historically a conveyor belt of talent to USC) to his family and friends (all lifelong USC diehards, including himself), there’s nothing about Jones on the surface that would suggest that he’s anything but a lock to follow the path that has seemingly already been chosen for him.
And yet… there seems to be the slightest glimmer of hope that Jack Jones might be the long-awaited one to break the Long Beach Poly hex and become the first Poly recruit with offers from both UCLA and USC to choose the Bruins over the Trojans since tight end and Bruin great Marcedes Lewis did so way back in 2002. As he sees former Poly stars Juju Smith-Schuster and Iman Marshall deal with being front-and-center for the latest turmoil in Troy, the hope for Bruin fans is that Jones is the much-desired Long Beach Poly recruit who is able to get past his previous immersion in Trojan kool-aid so that he can actually view USC as the clown show that it currently is. If he is indeed that mythical creature, then UCLA very well might be able to grab the commitment of the player who would instantly become the most symbolic signee of the Jim Mora era in Westwood.
It’s also important to note that UCLA is playing a dangerous game by having only one elite cornerback on its board who could plausibly commit to the Bruins. Defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin is also trying with 4-star David Long (Los Angeles, CA/Loyola), but Long, a recent Stanford decommit, is focused in on Washington and Michigan as of now. Losing a local star to USC or Stanford would be one thing, but losing him to far-away schools like Michigan or Washington (who is coming off a 6-6 season) would be another matter entirely and a very bitter pill for the Bruins to swallow if they’re not able to insert themselves back into the race for the 2nd-best corner in the West in this class.
Should good things fail to materialize with both Jones and Long, then the Bruins have other corners they’ve offered in this class, like 3-star Myles Bryant (Los Angeles, CA/Loyola) and 2-star Andrew Davis (Upland, CA/Upland), but neither is a likely instant-impact player at a position of need nor a likely future all-conference or All-America candidate.
Next: Safety
Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins safety Jaleel Wadood (2), defensive back Randall Goforth (3) and defensive back Adarius Pickett (6) warm up before the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
SAFETY
UCLA Bruins
Unlike the situation at cornerback, the situation at safety looks set to have a really nice yield if all materializes as expected for the Bruins. Of course, UCLA will already have a 2016 safety on campus in January when early enrollee and 3-star Leni Toailoa (Rialto, CA/Carter) joins the team. Leni is the younger brother of the aforementioned middle linebacker Lokeni Toailoa. But Leni’s commitment is not just some add-on in a package deal with his more highly-touted brother; it is very much a big deal in its own right.
Leni has an interesting story: Leni’s natural class would be the Class of 2017, but his father moved him up a grade so that he and Lokeni (who is older by one year) could be peers in school and on the football field. As a result, Leni has been consistently playing with and against players older and more physically mature than himself, which served to dim his star a bit for a while.
But now that Leni’s body is catching up with those of his older peers, he’s beginning to show himself to be a really nice prospect with his nose for the ball and physicality. He’ll have to work on his backpedal in coverage as a safety, but he already has nice skills in run support and closer to the line of scrimmage. It also wouldn’t be a complete shock to see Leni grow into an edge linebacker down the road as his body fills out.
Among the uncommitted safeties it is recruiting, the one who has long been UCLA’s highest priority is 4-star two-way athlete Brandon Burton (Gardena, CA/Serra). Although Burton attends a high school for which no self-respecting Bruin fan has any fondness, UCLA does actually have a really good shot at bringing in Burton because he’s one of those Serra recruits that USC isn’t pursuing, thus leaving UCLA to pick up the pieces with a fantastic player.
A standout wide receiver and safety in high school, Burton is one of those dynamic players who UCLA will be happy to get on campus first and ask questions about his position later. It seems likely, with Demetrice Martin as his recruiter, that Burton would get his first crack at safety if he ends up in Westwood, but either way, Bruin fans will be happy as long Burton is part of the UCLA class in one way or another when Signing Day rolls around.
24/7’s Crystal Ball has USC as a heavy favorite for Burton, but most of the predictions for USC are months old and not reflective of the fact that Burton is no longer a USC target. Among the schools Burton is still considering, the local school UCLA is his most likely landing spot, though Florida State will remain under Burton’s consideration until the very end.
Another local safety who is a longtime UCLA target is 3-star Keyon Riley (Anaheim, CA/Servite). UCLA is the prohibitive favorite to land Riley, whose style of play is reminiscent of current Bruin safety Tahaan Goodman. Riley is at his best getting a head of steam and viciously hitting anyone who crosses his airspace, but will need to get better backpedaling as a coverage man in order to be a true impact player in Westwood.
Last but not least, the Bruins have a potential Tom Bradley special brewing with the recruitment of severely underrated 3-star Pennsylvania athlete Khaleke Hudson (McKeesport, PA/McKeesport). Although UCLA is a longshot to land Hudson from across the country, its pursuit of Hudson is totally understandable, given that the monster athlete possesses some the most impressive film in the entire 2016 class:
Hudson officially visited UCLA in the middle of December, so there is a healthy amount of mutual interest present. Although the Bruins will have their work cut out for them in their pursuit of Hudson, he is definitely a target worth working for as he would likely be an instant two-deep player in Westwood should he choose to join the Bruins.
Next: UCLA Football Recruiting: 2016 Offensive Big Board 1.0
Hudson will be back in Southern California to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl at the beginning of January, so UCLA will definitely be hoping Hudson’s two trips out West in a month’s span are enough to convince him of the value of moving to the Southland to become a Bruin.