I am way too emotionally drained from this but this news is a big deal. As rumors are now hot and heavy out of Oregon about Chip Kelly jumping to the NFL, UCLA's ongoing recruiting momentum just got another huge boost with the commitment of former Ducks' commit Jeremy Castro. The Kelly to Bucs rumor is eerily similar to Pete Carroll's move to the Seahawks. Others are also having similar line of thoughts.
Let's go back to Castro, a 4 star 6-3, 245lb linebacker/defensive end from Vista Murietta High School (Murietta, CA). He committed to the Bruins tonight. Just couple of hours ago he updated his Twitter profile by including the following hash tags in his bio:
#uclabound #truefreshman #bruinnation
He updated his bio after getting the following tweet from Tevin McDonald:
@gohard_16 you gotta change that bio now fam.. you a bruin now!
Brandon Huffman of BruinReportOnline.com first confirmed the commitment via Twitter (HT Bru88). Jon Gold has a post up on Inside UCLA. Castro is simply a fantastic get for UCLA as he seems to be the prototype DE/LB type who will fit into a 3-4 scheme in Westwood. He had offers from number of elite D-1 programs including LSU and Oklahoma, along with all the major Pac-12 schools. More after the jump.
Here is Castro's bio from Scout.com:
Castro can put his hand down (which he's primarily done) or play outside linebacker. He has good size, speed, quickness and athletic ability. Uses his hands well to disengage and find the ball. Castro has good closing speed and plays within himself. Castro plays the run well as well as rushing the quarterback. Needs to continue to work on pass coverage as defensive end is more natural position. -Brandon Huffman
Here are some highlights from his junior year:
Jeremy Castro football (via jayboyhk)
More YouTube goodness here:
jeremy castro football highlights (via 16Kastro)
So congrats to Castro. Huge welcome to him from all of us here on BN. However, we imagine the fun is just beginning with 2 weeks left to go till signing day.
GO BRUINS.