The UCLA football team just added another defensive lineman as 4-star defensive tackle Tyler Manoa (St. Francis/Mountain View, CA) has committed to the Bruins.
With National Signing Day four days away (Wednesday, February 7), the UCLA Football team continues to grow their 2018 recruiting class as they now have 21 players with the addition of standout DT Tyler Manoa.
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Manoa is the second 4-star D-lineman to commit to the Bruins after Elijah Wade announced his decision last week. They are also joined by Steven Mason, Atonio Mafi and Baraka Bennett.
Manoa comes in at 6’5”, 260 lbs. and already has the frame and skill set to make an impact early on. He has good speed which isn’t compromised by his size, but added with his natural strength he can get into the gaps and shed blocks to get into the backfield.
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Manoa also has fundamentally tackling skills as he is able to immediately wrap up ball carriers at the point of attack.
His aggressive style will fit nicely in defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro’s schemes. The defense will be in a 3-4 formation and allow both linemen and linebackers to make plays, which exactly what Manoa does.
The Bruins’ coaches have really picked up the pace in the last ten days with recruiting. Since January 24, Manoa is the seventh player to commit to UCLA.
The Bruins are addressing several needs across the roster and seem to be doing fine on the defensive line, but UCLA could get one more as Texas native, 3-star DT Otto Ogbonnia, has showed interest in the Bruins.
As for the rest of the positions, UCLA still has to address depth on the offensive line and at linebacker. Currently the Bruins have two linemen committed (4-star Chris Murray and 3* Alec Anderson) and one linebacker (4* Bo Calvert).
https://twitter.com/tylermanoa/status/959839222642352129
Next: UCLA Football Recruiting: Biggest needs for National Signing Day
Either way, UCLA should finish with a very solid recruiting class, one that could be top 15.
Welcome to Westwood, Tyler!