January has been a good month to the Bruin football program, and it looks like it's going to get better. Late Monday night, 5* DT Ellis McCarthy committed to UCLA. A few hours later, Jim Mora officially announced that Lou Spanos was hired as DC. Topping off yesterday's wild ride, 3/4* QB Kevin Millweard committed to the program. Yes, yesterday was a good day.
At this point, our coaching staff consists of the following:
Offensive Coordinator: Noel Mazzone
Offensive Line: Adrian Klemm
Running Backs: Steve Broussard
Tight Ends: Marques Tuiasosopo
Wide Receivers: Eric Yarber
Defensive Coordinator: Lou Spanos
Defensive Line: Angus McClure
Defensive Backs: Demetrice Martin
Special Teams/LB: Jeff Ulbrich
Strength & Conditioning: Sal Alosi
More on our staff and recruiting news after the jump.
There has been a lot of exuberance over most of Coach Mora's hires, yet there are some valid concerns. We all know that Klemm, Broussard, McClure, and Martin can recruit with anyone, but the college is not just about getting the best players in the program. Player development and scheming is just as important as recruiting, and at this point we simply do not know if the assistant coaches are as good at coaching as they are at recruiting.
Nowhere as pronounced as it is on the DL, where Coach McClure was recently assigned despite never having coached on the defensive side of the ball. We previously discussed the fact that Coach Mora may be looking for a DC with DL coaching experience or that Coach McClure may transition to On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator after the recruiting period, allowing Coach Mora to bring in a dedicated DL Coach. Since Coach Spanos' background is with LB'ers, I wouldn't rule out an announcement of another move before spring ball.
On the recruiting front, things are really beginning to heat up. Our class has jumped to #10 following the commitments of McCarthy and Millweard. Of course, that ranking is buttressed by the fact that we now have 27 commitments, which puts us tied for third most in the country. This isn't something that fans should worry about at this point, as these things find a way to sort themselves out. There is usually a fairly substantial exodus of players when a new coach arrives, which we have not seen yet. Additionally, some recruits may enroll early, greyshirt, or fail to qualify academically, so it's simply premature to worry about the number of recruits we are taking on at this point.
In addition to the coaching staff, none other than 4* CB Ishmael Adams is recruiting for UCLA. After Tosh Lupoi bailed on Cal, the door has been cracked for UCLA to make headway on some of the recruits formerly commited to Cal. Remember, Ellis McCarthy was previously commited to Cal, and Adams is doing his part to lure 5* WR Bryce Treggs, 4* DT Aziz Shittu, and 4* WR Jordan Payton. The drama is almost unbearable.