Wanted to close the loop on all the (positive) commotion from CRN’s recruiting trip via helicopter from last weekend. We had gotten some emails wondering couple of questions re the trip: 1) whether the trip came at the expense of California tax payers and more importantly 2) whether it was allowed within the NCAA rules.

To answer the questions here are CRN’s comments from the Press Enterprise: 

Neuheisel said the chopper was provided by a booster and that there was no rule saying he couldn't use it.

"The rules didn't preclude it, so it seemed like a good use of my time," Neuheisel said.

Moreover, guess what as Andy Staple pointed out from the SI.com UCLA had more than enough change in case they had to fund the trip:

Also, before the politicos start dashing off angry letters to the UCLA athletic department, Neuheisel probably didn't waste anyone's tax dollars. According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, UCLA's football program generated $23.5 million in revenue compared to $16.9 million in expenses for the reporting year ending in June 2007. That leaves plenty of spare change for helicopter rides.

As for playing within the rules, we have heard from couple of very good sources, that Neuheisel’s chopper ride was properly vetted by the compliance folks in the Morgan Center.

So what we basically have once again, CRN making a huge national splash on the recruiting scene getting everyone’s attention. It’s a safe bet that recruits took note (just dates after the compelling victory against Tennessee). Now I am sure we are going to have difficult times in the coming weeks in terms of W-Ls. We could take one in the chin as early as this weekend against a very tough opponent in BYU. But there is no denying the buzz CRN has created around this program in less than 9 months. He has all but shattered the perception of a lifeless and listless program from last few years. Right now all signs point to him building something special.

GO BRUINS.