As most of you know, we have entered the Quiet Period in the recruiting process, on the eve of Signing Day. Coaches must stop stalking talking to recruits and what happens tomorrow is essentially an educated guessing game for those recruits who have not yet committed to a school.
With that said, here is something more akin to a Bruin Bites for this edition of the Roundup, as getting any credible information is relatively difficult at this stage of the game.
- Rose Bowl MVP and ex-Head Coach Rick Neuheisel is quoted in the Washington Post, giving a quick overview of what Signing Day is like for colleges. Truth be told, it was under Neuheisel that I even got interested in Signing Day, when he reeled in some solid players. What is even more interesting in the article is how often UCLA is mentioned in relation to some top recruits. A nice quick read.
- Over on the Daily Breeze, UCLA target Adoree Jackson provides insight into the craziness of his recruiting process. Some good info in there, but one quote that has me liking Adoree a lot:
"The most fun about having coaches come to see me is I could tell them about my teammates, get them looked at," he said. "Like I say, spread the sugar and share the wealth. We have a lot of guys who would be the star on other teams."
There is definitely a tug-of-war going on there, between memories, loyalties, and opportunity. I think UCLA provides the best of all, but every kid must take his own path.
- Our beloved non-biased sports outlet BSPN picks up on the Adoree story, which to me could unfortunately be a sign that he is going to be a Trogan. But regardless, it is a great profile of a kid who is well-liked and oozes talent and athleticism, and who could even be eyeing the Rio 2016 Olympics. If only UCLA Track&Field was where it should be, UCLA would have a much better shot, but I guess it's too much to ask Guerrero to step away from the all you can drink Chianti bar.
- Chris Foster from the LA Times is bringing up old news, but its importance bears repeating the day before Signing Day: other than Brett Hundley, Mora's next most important recruit was very likely Adrian Klemm. A good insight on how Klemm approaches evaluating players and recruiting. #8CLAP
- As we have noted on several occasions, UCLA is widely viewed as a top 10 preseason team. What is interesting is that all those rankings came out before recruiting was over. Phil Steele recently threw his hat in and predicts UCLA as the likely #7 team in the preseason rankings. If our freshmen are anywhere near as good as this past year, it could bode very well for UCLA.
- With all the shenanigans going on around recruiting, Chris Foster thought it would be a hoot to poke fun at the UCLA Compliance office. I don't find it funny at all. Following the rules and maintaining as much integrity as possible in this crazy business is commendable. Of course, the article doesn't mention anything about the Southern Cal Compliance Office.
- Speaking of compliance, the NCAA has apparently decided not to penalize super shady Tosh Lupoi. This indirectly affects Sark, since he was the head coach at Washington. Ted Miller has a nice little jab in there for the Trogans so he gets a bonus point today. Of course the joke is still on Southern Cal, who was not able to hire him and has Sark basically begging Ogre to rejoin the band. Barrels of laughs all around!
- Finally, sticking with NCAA penalties...some people think that what Cheatey Petey has done is impressive, i.e. winning a championship in the NFL and in college. Given the illustrious company he has joined in squeaky clean coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, well, I guess we don't disagree. Except for one thing: Pete Carroll has only won a Super Bowl in the NFL. His BCS championship was vacated, and his AP championships don't really count in the age of the BCS. Sorry but that's dem rules.
Brace yourselves Bruins, it's going to be a crazy ride again!