UCLA: Football and Basketball news for this current week

Things are starting to heat up for UCLA football and Basketball as we are in the first week of August.

Chase Griffin was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.

The Wuerffel Trophy Watch List for 2023 is a list of 110 players from college football’s bowl subdivision. The award is given annually to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement.

The 2023 Watch List includes players from numerous schools and the players on the Watch List were selected by a panel of college football experts.

https://twitter.com/UCLAFootball/status/1687097933198671872

UCLA Baseball has the number one ranked recruiting class for 2023 according to Perfect Game.

How does the publication Perfect Game come up with ranking college baseball recruiting classes? Here are the criteria they follow according to the Perfect Game website.

Number of commits: The number of commits a school has is the most important factor in the ranking. Schools with more commits are generally considered to have better recruiting classes.
Average ranking: The average ranking of a school’s commits is also taken into account. Schools with higher-ranked commits are generally considered to have better recruiting classes.
Positional need: The positional need of a school’s commits is also considered. Schools that fill their positional needs with high-ranked commits are generally considered to have better recruiting classes.
Depth: The depth of a school’s recruiting class is also considered. Schools that have a lot of high-ranked commits at multiple positions are generally considered to have better recruiting classes.

https://twitter.com/UCLABaseball/status/1686835917804404745

Aday Mara officially signs with UCLA to play basketball for the upcoming season.

Mara was most recently a Spanish professional basketball player for Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga ACB.  He is a 7’2″ center who is known for his athleticism, shot-blocking ability, and rebounding skills.

Mara began his professional career in 2021, playing for CB Peñas Huesca of the LEB Oro. Mara was then assigned to Anagan Olivar of Liga EBA, the Spanish fourth division, where he averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.

In 2022-23, Mara made his Liga ACB debut with Zaragoza. Mara also played for the Spain under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He averaged 12.6 points, five rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as Spain made the final before losing to the United States.

Mara is a very young player, so he still has a lot of room to grow. If he continues to develop, he has the potential to be a star in Westwood for the Bruins.

https://twitter.com/UCLAMBB/status/1687146897017122817

Laiatu Latu has been named by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to the watch list for the 2023 Nagurski Trophy.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is an annual award given to the best defensive player in college football. It is named after Bronko Nagurski, a legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota.

The Nagurski Trophy was first awarded in 1993. The most recent winner is Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama, who won the award in 2021 and 2022. To be eligible for the Nagurski Trophy, a player must have played at least two full seasons of college football.

The Nagurski Trophy is one of the most prestigious awards in college football. It is a testament to the player’s athletic ability, leadership, and character.

Here are some of the criteria used to select the winner of the Nagurski Trophy:

Athletic ability: The player must be a dominant force on the defensive side of the ball.
Leadership: The player must be a leader on his team and in the locker room.
Character: The player must be a person of high character and integrity.

The Nagurski Trophy is a valuable honor for any college football player. It is a testament to the player’s hard work and dedication. Latu was also named first-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and second-team all-conference by Pro Football Focus.

https://twitter.com/UCLAFootball/status/1686501004018081792

The Women’s Soccer team ranked No. 1 in the country in the United Coaches poll.

https://twitter.com/UCLAWSoccer/status/1686816608407494661