[UPDATE III: 12/21]:Here we go. According to this Norco tailback Gerhart mentioned in that Dohn update from last Friday, committed to Stanford. Also, according the paid side updates one can infer that USC is leading for Bradford now since his final choices have come down to UCLA and SC. No encouraging signs re. Austin or Hagan either. So, yeah that "big recruiting" weekend not looking so big for Dorrell. So far the so called Pac-10 COY is getting rejected by all the blue chippers who are making up their minds during the crunch time of the recruiting season. Guess they are not all that impressed with that 9 win season built upon some last minute wins over bunch of shitty to mediocre teams.
[UPDATE II: 12/20]:Only the sound of crickets coming out of UCLA's recruiting corner. While other schools (with good coaches) are having a recruiting feast this time of the year, nothing (in terms of elite recruits) seems to brewin in KD's recruiting pot in December. I wonder why. Guess can't really sweep that 19-66 thing under the rug. Then again being recruiting junkies we are used to these December flops from a UCLA football program, which has been the hallmark for underahievement during last seven years. This is how it was during the later years of Toledo era when when we were striking out on one elite recruit after another following the SC game. Nothing has really changed under the current mediocre coach. Nothing really ... at least when it comes to performance on the field and in recruiting.
[UPDATE: 12/19]:So much for that "big recruiting weekend." According to this DN story not one of the blue chip high school recruit Dohn mentioned on Friday committed over the weekend after KD's sales pitch. Can't really sweep that 19-66 under the rug, specially if a kid happens to be from Southern California. But no worries ... I am sure we are going to snatch some 3 star recruits from middle tier Pac-10/Big-12 schools.
[12/16]:KD and his program kicks off a big recruiting weekend today. Dohn has the goods on future Bruin stars shooting for more moral victories against USC:
Colton linebacker Allen Bradford, Long Beach Poly receiver Terrence Austin, Norco tailback Toby Gerhart and Crenshaw defensive back Darian Hagan Jr. each have official visits scheduled.
This is UCLA's first, and biggest, recruiting weekend of the year, and is the first time in coach Karl Dorrell's three years no official visits were scheduled during the season.
"We set up everything for this weekend because finals are getting over, so the (current) players will be relieved of that and won't have the stress of working on papers over the weekend," said Dorrell, who cannot comment on individual recruits. "It works better (to visit after the season), at least for now. That's something we're going to continue to think about, but we like it when we get to spend a great deal of attention with them and really show them a great experience for 48 hours."
The timing of the recruiting weekend has its strategy as well.
UCLA begins preparations Saturday for the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl against Northwestern, giving the recruits a chance to watch practice.