It’s been an up and down 72 hours for the UCLA Football team. There was the beat down at Washington. The news that not all was lost at the quarterback position and now a de-commitment at a position of need.
New offensive line coach Hank Fraley has done a commendable job of taking a UCLA Football unit that many would have said was doomed before the season began. While no one will accuse the Bruin offensive line of being one of college football’s most dominant, they have been a relatively pleasant surprise this season.
Although it isn’t a major jump in production, the Bruins currently sit at 111th best in the country rushing the football. They have become more efficient rushers at 4.1 a clip which is more than a full yard better than 2016. That’s not the only improvement . The 15 scores on the ground are already more than last season and the Bruins still have four games remaining.
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It would seem the groundwork has been laid for a much improved UCLA Football offensive line but in order to keep that improvement going you need to bring in talent to develop. That effort took a hit Monday.
Jason Dickson was one of UCLA’s four offensive line commits for the 2018 recruiting class. Clearly the Bruin offensive staff knows this group can and needs to improve.
Dickson, a three star recruitment from Diablo Valley Community College, has the size (six-foot-six, 305 pounds) and athleticism that attracts major attention from programs all over the country. Most of the PAC-12 has shown interest in the athletic tackle but so has the Big-12 and Big-10. He does however only have two offers at this point. One from UCLA, and one from TCU.
Although they could be unconnected, the de-commitment of Dickson and the UCLA Football loss seem to be curious timing. It isn’t easy to convince recruits to stay with a school when you’re losing and losing in that fashion. Players want to be part of a winning culture and although the Bruins sit at 4-4, the remainder of their season may make it difficult for them to reach a bowl.
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If the Bruins don’t finish the remainder of their season convincingly and perhaps sneak into a bowl you can fully expect to see a few more departures among UCLA commitments.