5-star QB Craft commits!

by bruinmike88 on Jan 29, 2008 4:47 AM PST Comment 44 comments

Bumped from the diaries. GO BRUINS. -N

5-star JuCo QB Kevin Craft from Mt. San Antonio College has committed to UCLA!

Based on his profile, his two other top schools were SMU and Hawaii meaning he was a June Jones lock, but Coach Neuheisel and Coach Chow have sprung a big surprise here and locked up a kid who seems to have all the tools to be an elite QB. This is absolutely incredible and I can guarantee it would have never happened without the presence of those two men! Man we're going to be stacked at QB next year with Olson, Cowan, Craft, Crissman, and Forcier, I can't wait. I would imagine Crissman is probably gonna redshirt now, but the one guy I worry about is C-Force. He probably won't get a meaningful snap until his junior year now, with Olson/Cowan in the saddle next year and Craft probably jumping in the year after that in his own senior year. Should be fascinating to see how this all shakes out, our passing offense should be something to behold with this much QB talent if our OL does its job.

GO BRUINS!

UPDATE: Not bad at all. Craft happens to JC Player of the Year. From a story that a ran in the San Bernardino County Sun:

The sophomore threw up impressive numbers last fall. He completed just over 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,231 yards and 44 touchdowns. He led an offense that averaged more than 40 points per game and advanced to the CCCAA championship game, in which it lost to City College of San Francisco.

UCLA, meanwhile, had injury problems at the quarterback position, with Ben Olson and Pat Cowan missing large chunks of playing time. UCLA finished just 6-7 last season.

Both players will be back next season, but adding Craft would give Neuheisel and Chow plenty of solid options.

"They just know they might need some help, either now or down the road," Gastrab said of UCLA. "The fact that Kevin was Player of the Year in junior college, he could help them right away. He's a great fit for them." Keep them coming CRN. GO BRUINS. -N

UPDATE II: They come, they go. As noted in the comments, McLeod Bethel-Thompson is transferring to Sacramento State. From the PE:

UCLA redshirt freshman quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson has left the school and will transfer to Sacramento State. [...]

With the commitment of Kevin Craft, Bethel-Thompson would have been in a quarterback race that included Ben Olson, Pat Cowan, Craft, Chris Forcier, Nick Crissman and potentially Osaar Rasshan, depending on if he makes the move back to WR or stays at QB.

Good luck MBT. GO BRUINS. -M

UPDATE III: According to Dohn, Craft will have to spend some time in JUCO to maintain his full eligibility, and won't be able to participate in Spring practice:

Kevin Craft, the Mt. SAC QB who gave an oral commitment to UCLA, is a transfer from San Diego State. He must spend a year at a JUCO before he can transfer to a four-year school and maintain his full eligibility. GO BRUINS. -M

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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wow

this came out of nowhere...but i'm excited. Should be fun to watch the QB battle this spring!

by bruin11 on Jan 28, 2008 11:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Craft As A Starter....?

He has 2 years to play 2. He cannot redshirt. If he didn't have a legitimate shot to win the job next year, I don't think RN and NC would be interested. It wouldn't be worth it, especially with Crissman coming in.

Ben Olson and Pat Cowan have been, to be charitable, unimpressive. If Craft is the real deal, and since he hasn't had the unfortunate distinction of having been coached by Karl Dorrell, I bet he gets the nod.

Just my two cents...

by Quickhands on Jan 29, 2008 12:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I have the same two cents

It's very rare when Quick and I agree, so circle this date on your calendar. Cowen and Olsen have championship heart and lacked both championship coaching and a championship O-line. That said, the seemed to me also to lack championship skills. Next year they will get a heavy dose of what they missed in the past.

I have no reason to think that they have that much more skill than the guys below them on the depth chart. That will be evaluated by real coaches in the not-too-distant future. I would not be at all surprised if the agile guy without much of an arm, or the guy with the great arm and not much agility are both asked to sit while someone with both qualities runs the team.

And we shouldn't forget that a new coach and a new OC means a new system and new terminology, so all the QB's - even this brand new JC guy - will basically be starting from scratch. In fact, Ben and Pat may be at a disadvantage, having to purge their minds of all the crap shoved in their by CTS and Training Jay.

The geezer squad will remember a JC transfer named Dennis Dummit. (Or at least I think he was a transfer.) He seemed to work out fine.

by Fox 71 on Jan 29, 2008 4:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dennis Dummit

He worked out more than fine, and is in the UCLA Hall of Fame. He transferred in from Long Beach CC. Wish we had him on campus his sophomore year. That is when Bobby Grich was the best QB on campus, but was playing on his intramural team because he had signed a professional baseball contract.
Dummit led the team to victory over $C my senior year (I'm guessing yours as well from the 71 reference)- pinpoint passer. In his junior year, the team would have won with him at QB and gone to the Rose Bowl except for a crap interference call on an uncatchable ball on 4th down- certainly nothing Dennis could do about that.
If the new guy is at Dummit's level, we will be just fine. I also agree that he probably did not come to UCLA to wait his turn.
Go Bruins.

by islandbruin on Jan 29, 2008 6:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bobby Grich

Grich went to UCLA and was good enough to have played QB for us? Very interesting stuff!

by bruin8uclap on Jan 29, 2008 11:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

Fox....

You rarely agree with me? But I'm right almost all the time!

I agree about the terminology and related issues. For Olson and Cowan, this is offensive coordinator/system #4 or #5. The fact that they can even remember the plays at this point is kind of impressive.

by Quickhands on Jan 29, 2008 9:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Will One of Our QB's Transfer?

We will be both deep and young -- especially if you consider OR as a QB.

Last year, with no O line, we could have used a few more. But, I don't think that will happen again.

How realistic is it to have 6 QB's, including OR?

sjh

by Class of 66 on Jan 29, 2008 6:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I think this guy should start

even though I've never seen him play. I never want to see Olson take another snap in my life.

by jjreicher on Jan 29, 2008 8:06 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Olson deserves a shot as starting QB

KD didn't use him to fully utilize his strenghts.

by bluegold on Jan 29, 2008 8:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

of course we won't know until the season begins

but i've watched BO during scrimmages/games/practices and i've never understood the buzz. it's time to move on.

by jjreicher on Jan 29, 2008 5:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Competition

If any of the QB's transfer because of the newfound competition in the program, then that would speak volumes to the kind of heart they actually have. I want the kids who want to compete and prove themselves daily in practice. I don't want another J.P. Losman kid with an entitlement mentality.

by ishXdavid on Jan 29, 2008 8:10 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Completely disagree

In the macro, college football is a showcase of your talents in order to secure a job in the NFL and make playing football your well-paying living. If any player isn't getting the opportunity, I certainly wouldn't think any less of them for transferring to put themselves back into the shop window and wanting to maximize their NFL chances. That's just common sense and good ol' capitalism. The only man I can think of with an NFL QB job after not playing in college is Matt Cassel, and he's the exception that proves the rule.

by bruinmike88 on Jan 29, 2008 9:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Matt Cassel was also coached by Chow

We could have a couple of those non-starting NFL types in a few years.

by jaffa on Jan 29, 2008 10:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with your premise

I'm just stating my opinion as a UCLA fan, not a parent or potential agent for the player. Players should seek the best opportunity to showcase their talents, but as a fan of the team first, I believe the program benefits by having athletes hungry for competition rather than shying away from it. It's too late for Olson or Cowan to transfer. I don't consider Rashaan a viable QB in Chow's system. The only QB I could envision transferring is Forcier who appears to be the odd man out at this point with a Junior and Frosh QB coming in. He was entertaining thoughts of transferring to Oregon after the Dorrell firing, but seemed recommitted to the program after the Neuheisel and Chow hirings.

In regards to Losman, I feel that he set the program back by precluding the recruitment of other QB's in his class (Kyle Boller), then tranfered before even a year in the program. I've read conflicting reports about his reasons for transfering, but in the end it was beneficial for him, not so much for UCLA. Ryan McCann didn't pan out, and we had a very talented team that was limited with Cory Paus leading it.

by ishXdavid on Jan 29, 2008 10:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Tom Brady

Did not start most of his career at Michigan!

Go Team Go!

by bruins grad and dad on Jan 29, 2008 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I may be inaccurate

but there was something written or posted (don't recall) where JP didn't transfer due to competition but he essentially was given the cold shoulder by the upperclassmen (Paus, etc.) when he arrived early to Westwood. He was the hotshot recruit and they may have felt threatened. That period of Bruin football was not known for being a "team" in the truest sense. If I was him, I'd do the same thing. Why be around a bunch of guys that dislike you and don't take you under their wings.

I think picking up Craft was a win/win situation. If he beats out BO or Cowan, he has earned it. If not, he could be the bridge in 2009 possibly should Forcier/Crissman not be ready and allow them additional time to mature.

by BlueReign on Jan 29, 2008 9:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

JP Losman

The official story on him was that he wanted to play baseball as well as football. Toledo said no, football only. JP said, I'm going to Tulane, I'll see ya there in 8 years.

Paus was a freshman at the time, so maybe it was some other upperclassmen that made him feel unwelcome too. Plus JP had some character issues. He was full of himself and should have gone to jail for assault in highschool.

Craft makes for an interesting story. Now we are no longer thin at QB. Plus the fight for position in Spring and Fall camps will be crazy.

by isodore on Jan 29, 2008 10:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ossar

I am pretty sure Ossar will get moved back to WR. He does not have the tools to be a Chow QB, but hopefully Chow can design some plays for him.

I wish Olson had another year with UCLA. I think he has the goods and would have broken through like Carson Palmer. I don't know enough about the young QBs to even know if they can compete with Kevin Craft. We also have the Law Firm...

by tasser10 on Jan 29, 2008 9:39 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

the Law Firm

Foster over at the LAT is reporting that the Law Firm is going to transfer

by BruinFanBaby on Jan 29, 2008 12:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Strange...

ESPN has him listed on the San Diego State roster for 2007...

by tasser10 on Jan 29, 2008 9:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

SDSU

He was a freshman at SDSU before transferring to Mt. Sac. But that was for 2006, not 2007. ESPN obviously didn't drop him from SDSU's 2007 roster.

by Raisin on Jan 29, 2008 10:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Isn't that the same school

that produced Cal's Joe Ayoob? I hope this guy is better than Ayoob if thats the case. Ayoob was terrible.

by joeb on Jan 29, 2008 10:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ayoob

If memory serves, Ayoob went to CC of SF, the school that beat Mt. Sac in the JC championship game.

by ishXdavid on Jan 29, 2008 10:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

the second...

I read JC transfer I thought of Ayoob. I hope he doesn't turn out the same.

by king James on Jan 29, 2008 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Olsen the China Doll

Ben is fragile at best and even with the best of O-lines (which he clearly lacked during his tenure at UCLA) I genuinely believe he still would have spent more time on the trainer's table then in the huddle on Saturdays. Plus, I never got the sense his teamates really believed in him nor truly got behind him. While I genuinely believe he has the skills to be a successfull QB I suspect we won't see that until he reaches the next level.

That being said, I think he'll start this year, probably get hurt again leaving Cowan and Craft to pick up the pieces.

This depth at QB is essential and I doubt anyone will transfer as there will be injuries and possible ineffective play which will yeild opportunities for younger players to get a shot.

by Bald Eagle on Jan 29, 2008 10:47 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Olsen

I have no facts to make this commment, only impressions.

Olsen has never been the same after his hand (thumb?) injury. I suspect he can not hold the ball like he used to be able to. I suspect that is why he has trouble on the touch throws. I suspect that is why he has been susceptible to fumbles.

But I am not a doctor so I don't know.

All that said, I hope he gets a real shot at starting. I thought PC was the better choice last year for one simple reason: the OL could not protect an immobile QB. Hopefully Chow and CRN fix the real problem for the last couple of years: an offensive line that could not be depended to move good defensive lines around.

And whoever starts I hope they can blossom in the role.

Go Team Go!

by bruins grad and dad on Jan 29, 2008 11:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Can he play next year

I thought I read somewhere that he would have to sit out a year before he can play. Can someone confirm?

by BobTheBruin on Jan 29, 2008 11:51 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

only Div 1A transfers

or whatever they call it now (FBS/FCS?) would have to sit out one-year. JC and lower division transfers don't have to.

by ishXdavid on Jan 29, 2008 12:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

youd have to...

be a fool to transfer out of UCLA right now. Especially if your a QB, with a chance to work with RN and Chow. I mean even if someone did transfer, I personally wouldnt give a care. We have guys lining up to take their spots. I wish I would have found some way to green shirt or something so I could have the opportunity to play under these guys.

Seriously though, as a recruit with these guys as coaches, our top academics, and beautiful southern california how is ucla NOT your number one choice?

by hbruin84 on Jan 29, 2008 11:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Law Firm

Is leaving for Sacramento State per Dohn

by artybruin on Jan 29, 2008 12:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

UCLA to Sac State?!

The Law Firm leaving for Sac State makes absolutely no sense. I can certainly understand the desire to play and compete. No one wants to sit the bench and watch from the sidelines.

That said, however, at some point, this kid has to wake up and smell the roses. He's a good kid, obviously smart enough to get into UCLA. As a football player, however, I don't think there is any question he doesn't have the tools to make it on the next level. Simply put, if you can't hack it at UCLA, the odds of you hacking it in the NFL are slim-to-none.

So, with the knowledge that football isn't going to be a career option and that he'll probably never make a dime throwing a football, I don't understand how or why he would leave a world-class university for, to be perfectly frank, an underfunded, third- or fourth-tier state school.

The CSU is a wonderful system and serves its purpose in this state (production of teachers, nurses, etc. all of which are vital to our economy and society), but I think we can all agree that a UCLA degree is worth a lot more in the job market than one from a school once known for cheating by spraying Pam on their players' jerseys (and yet, they still lost to then-Div. II UC Davis).

Just some thoughts.

by norcald503 on Jan 29, 2008 2:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

MBT may not be NFL caliber,

but he is still a damn good football player who loves to play. I can understand completely the desire, no make that the NEED to play, while he still can.

OK, a degree from a Cal State university doesn't have the kapow that a degree from UCLA does. But playing college football, even "only" at the Cal State level, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, I dare say, he would learn lessons playing regularly that he wouldn't learn in a classroom at UCLA, MIT, or Harvard.

I don't understand why you and hbruin think he needs to smell roses and is a fool. I thank him for stepping in when the team needed him, and I wish him well.

In a way, he reminds me of Mustafa Abdul-Hamid. Whether to spend most or all of an athletic career sitting on the bench and getting great coaching at a top-flite university, or playing big minutes and probably starring at a lesser university (athletically speaking)?

Abdul-Hamid chose one course. I respect him for that. MBT, apparently, is choosing another course. I respect him for that, as well. Playing versus soaking up some of NC's brillance? Tough call, but his to make.

by Bruinut on Jan 29, 2008 8:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

Rivals.com only has Craft as a 3-star QB.

by BruinFanBaby on Jan 29, 2008 1:57 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

True... but scout.com

Has him listed as a 5 star QB. Yeah... i don't get it either. maybe a 4 star compared to a 5 but a 3???

Bruins all the way baby! Skrew SC!

by Bleedin Blue and Gold on Jan 29, 2008 2:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice pickup

Now, who is planning on protecting him? We've got five scholarship QB's, but only one can play at a time. Meanwhile, UCLA's only bringing in two offensive lineman at this point, neither of whom looks very promising.

by ucla21 on Jan 29, 2008 2:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

OL

They do have some talented (stars-wise) OL who underperformed under Connelly (Dean, Lanis, Kia and Sheller all were rated at 4 stars) Obviously 4 star players don't always pan out but at least we have guys who received high ratings a few years ago out of high school and can still be molded into talent. No doubt offensive linemen have to be a priority next year though.

by Raisin on Jan 29, 2008 2:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Correct

Hopefully Palcic can make players out of the young guys in the program. If not, the word "priority" will be a luxury next year. We need Big Uglies on both sides of the LOS. Teams are built inside out IMO.

by BlueReign on Jan 29, 2008 3:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Credit to Walker?

IIRC, Mt. SAC was one of the places where Walker coached.

Wonder if he was involved in this.

If so, congrat's DW.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Jan 29, 2008 3:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

FINALLY

it's nice to see neu-money addressing the thing that maybe hurt us more than anything else last season (besides poor coaching). total lack of depth at qb. we had olson who we think and hope is good, and cowan who despite tons of guts really doesn't have the goods, then a walk-on, and then a guy we converted to wr. i know it was freakish bad luck for all of them to go down. but i think as acoach you have to plan for these things. i mean sc had booty go down, but they have sanchez, corp, and mustain in the pipeline. for us to have a walk-on as 3rd string was a travesty. at a way to address this problem chow, neu-money, whomever it was. competition and options are always good.
two side notes; i'm surprised to hear bethel is transferring, i mean he did walk-on, transferring to sac state to play ball as opposed to finishing a degree from ucla? doesn't that sound strange to anyone? whatever, i'm not sad to see the kid go.
second, i got to know jp losman for the short time he spent at ucla. in my opinion, bob toledo blew that one and it set our program back years on account of it. he was having problems getting down bobbo's big playbook and he insisted on making it seem that there was an open qb competition when it was prolly jp's to lose, even though he was recruited on the idea of starting soon. my guess is bobbo was trying to get the most outta jp by not naming him the starter or even the favorite and this caused jp to jump ship. past is the past i guess.

Across The Face

by rb bruin on Jan 29, 2008 5:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Bethel-Thompson

He could be transferring for financial reasons. Sacramento sure is a lot cheaper than Los Angeles--especially without a scholarship at UCLA.

As a recent transfer from Sac State to UCLA, I can now say I have pulled a reverse Bethel-Thompson.

by bhbruin on Jan 30, 2008 1:15 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Is his dad the former coach?

Is Craft's dad the former head coach at SD State who was fired a few years ago and replaced by Chuck Long? I believe he is. If so, he must have a good football IQ. I always like kids who play QB and there dad's are football coach's. If I remember right, the younger Craft was considered very, very good coming out of High School.

by jbcoach on Jan 29, 2008 6:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

yep

He went to SD state and left when his dad was fired. And yeah, smart QB's have thrived in Chow's offenses so this might be an awesome match

by blinkshot on Jan 29, 2008 6:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Per scout,

Nelson Rosario has committed to UCLA. link

by Bruinut on Jan 29, 2008 9:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Craft and Rosario

The latest commits from Craft and Rosario demonstrates what all the experts were saying about Rick's recruiting. He's "slick" (in a good and intelligent way) and he focuses on the skill players, which we really need. But we really need to shore up the OL which turned our QB's into the suicide squad. Is there any wonder that Ben Olson refused to play in the LV Bowl? Craft is the real deal according to all the reports and will probably step in and take the job away from Ben, unless Norm Chow somehow works a miracle with him. I've lost alot of sleep wondering how good Ben could have been if he had a good OL and more than a 3-step drop back in the Dorrell West Coast offense.

by bruin75 on Jan 29, 2008 10:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs