UCLA Football: 3-star LB John Ward, the Palmdale Pain Train, commits

The UCLA football team received a commitment late Saturday night as the “Palmdale Pain Train”, aka 3-star linebacker John Ward, has committed to the Bruins.

Things just got knocked up a notch on Saturday night as the UCLA football team received their sixth commitment to the 2019 recruiting class. John Ward, the self-proclaimed “Palmdale Pain Train” has given his commitment to the Bruins.

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There has been chatter from disgruntled UCLA fans that recruiting has not gone as it should, especially with offensive mastermind Chip Kelly in control. The thing is, those fans have to trust the process because Kelly knows what he is doing and if Saturday night proved anything, it is that UCLA is bringing the “pain”.

The pain comes in the form of a 6’3, 235 lbs. outside linebacker from Palmdale, John Ward.

Ward is the sixth prospect to commit to the Bruins’ 2019 recruiting class and the first linebacker to give his pledge to Kelly for this cycle. This is not only a big deal because UCLA has whiffed on LB commits in the last few seasons, but they now have a big bruiser that can make an immediate impact in their midst.

Aside from his physical prowess, Ward is a character in his own right. As noted above, he has an attention-grabbing moniker, but has also labeled his most recent Hudl highlight video, the “Best 7 Minutes of Your Life”. Let’s take a look…

As you can see, Ward is a very excitable individual. He is fast, he is reactionary and he is violent, perfect for defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro’s style.

With UCLA looking to be more aggressive in the Chip Kelly era, Ward seems to be the epitome of the prototypical Kelly defender. Ward has excellent vision which helps him carve out potential offensive plays. When he breaks through the line, god help the ball carrier as he tends to lay the boom when he makes contact.

And on top of everything else, he never gives up on a play which is a welcome relief to the defensive style fans have been accustomed to in the Mora era.

If UCLA is looking to be more aggressive on the defensive front, they landed a player that will help them to achieve that goal.

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At this point in the article, we usually say, “Welcome to Westwood, John!” Instead, we will state, “the world is yours, my good man!”