Spaulding Roundup: Building Blocks

Couple of notes to pass on during this Tuesday of a bye week.

Since this is a bye week coaches will be filtering out in their respective high school beats to check out recruits this weekend. They are all working on setting up two huge recruiting weekends in Westwood over next couple of months. Here is Dohn:

The first will be largely for out-of-state recruits to visit the weekend of Dec. 6, when UCLA hosts USC at the Rose Bowl.

"The 'SC weekend, the kids get to see what kind of atmosphere that game is played in," Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel said. "Hopefully, we play terrifically and it becomes one of the great wins in UCLA history. If we fall short, we can definitely point to the future. But it's about people that can see the future.

"And UCLA has always attracted kids that can see the future, see opportunity and value and all that is Westwood and all that stuff."

UCLA's other big weekend on the recruiting calendar will be the weekend of Jan. 9-10, and will consist largely of players already committed to UCLA and other Southern California prospects. The coaching staff will also use Friday as one of its evaluation days and go on the road to watch high school playoff games.

Among recruits who will be coming in for the “Beat ’SC” weekend are kids who are committed players to other big time programs. Also from Dohn:

Ohio State commit James Jackson, a receiver out of Grand Ledge (Mich.) High, defensive tackle and Notre Dame commit Tyler Stockton of the Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) and tight end and Miami commit Billy Sanders of Lake City High (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) are set to visit, sources said.

Also, defensive tackle Siosaia Tuipulotu of Trinity High (Euless, Tex.) and receiver Marcus Wheaton of Chandler (Ariz.) High are scheduled to visit, sources added.

While coaches are working on to setting up these visits, CRN is also working with kids like Tevaga to assess commitment to playing football at UCLA:

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel planned to meet today with Sonny Tevaga to discuss the offensive lineman's future with the team.

Though Tevaga played extensively against Oregon State just 10 days ago, he was left behind on last weekend's trip to Washington to ponder his future in the game.

Neuheisel has refused to discuss the situation in detail other than to say Tevaga is not being disciplined for violation of team or university rules.

"He just needs to be committed," the coach said. "I want to make sure that every player on the team understands that any lack of commitment . . . does deprive you of team membership."

Tevaga's status is important to an offensive line already worn thin by injury and inexperience.

Hopefully the weekend allowed Tevaga to reflect on what he wants to do. He certainly has the physical tools to become a good football player. However, this is a question of having the passion to play the game. If he finds it and commits himself to playing the game with full of desire and intensity, he will fit in well with the type of program CRN is working to build in Westwood.

GO BRUINS.