UCLA Football Recruiting: High School All-American Game Previews and Open Thread

For those of us that follow recruiting, this is a pretty fun weekend. There are three high school all-star games televised over the next two days. While I'm not a fan of exhibition football, those games also serve as platforms where a lot of recruits announce where they'll be headed next year.

Let's take a look at our commits and targets playing in the games:

Under Armour All-American Game

Friday, Jan. 4th, 2:00 p.m. PT, ESPN

Commits to Watch:

Scott Quessenberry (White) - Quessenberry is one of the top ranked centers in the country, but at 6'3 265 lbs., he clearly has to bulk up before playing at the next level. He's been solid to UCLA for a long time.

Sean Covington (Black) - Covington is one of the best punters in the country and the magnificent Jeff Locke's replacement.


Targets to Watch:

Priest Willis (White) - Willis plays CB/FS and will likely move to FS in college. He's 6'2 190 lbs. and is an explosive athlete. He has offers from all over the country, and the Arizona native does not appear to be ready to make a decision any time soon. Willis will likely take his recruiting down to the wire, but UCLA is clearly in the mix, along with LSU, Florida St., Arizona St., and Nebraska.

Isaac Savaiinaea (Black) - Savaiinea is easily the top ILB prospect in the west. He was previously committed to Stanford, but it now appears to be a two horse race between UCLA and Texas A&M. It doesn't appear that he will announce until signing day.

Carl Lawson (Black) - Carl Lawson is one of the better defensive ends in the country. Lawson is currently committed to Auburn, but there appears to be an opening with the staff change. UCLA was chasing him before the change, and Lawson did previously indicate that he would be visiting Westwood.

Sebastian LaRue (White) - LaRue previously decommitted from USC and reopened his recruitment. He is more of a slot type at 5'11 175 lbs. He's also a very good cornerback and could easily end up on the defensive side of the ball. It's not clear if UCLA is actively recruiting him at this point.

Semper Fi All-American Game

Friday, Jan. 4th, 6:00 PT, NFL Network

Commits to Watch:

Deon Hollins (West) - At 6'2 222 lbs., Hollins has good size and projects as a good pass rushing OLB. The staff will have to continue recruiting him to fend off schools from all over the country who have shown interest in Hollins, including Notre Dame and Utah.

Kenny Lacy (West) - Lacy is the top OT prospect in Arizona and has drawn interest from Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio St., and Oklahoma. He is 6'6 270 lbs. and projects as a very good OT. Lacy is as firm as they come in his commitment to UCLA.

John Lopez (West) - Lopez has excellent size at 6'5 305 lbs., and UCLA has been recruiting him for years. He is firm with UCLA.

Targets to Watch:

Thomas Duarte (West) - Thomas Duarte is a Mater Dei product who stands an impressive 6'4 225 lbs. His is a much better receiver than blocker and really looks like a perfect Y receiver. He has family ties to UCLA, and will be announcing at some point during the game, and it looks like UCLA and Washington are the leaders at this point..

Johnny Johnson (West) - Johnson plays for Central in Fresno in a secondary that includes LJ Moore and Hatari Byrd. Johnson is smallish at 5'9 165 lbs, but the staff has made an exception to their preference for big corners and are chasing Johnson hard. Washington, Cal, and Stanford are the other teams to watch. Johnson has indicated that he is going to wait to commit.

Devon Allen (West) - Allen is a dual athlete in football and track. At 6'1 190 lbs., he has an excellent combination of size and speed. He is not scheduled to announce at the game, but his current short list includes UCLA, Stanford, Florida St., and Oregon..

John Ross (West) - Ross is a bit smaller at 5'9 175 lbs., but he's electric with the ball. He plays at Jordan HS in Long Beach, and has potential as a return man as well as CB. He is supposed to announce at the game, with Washington and UCLA the main suitors.

U.S. Army All-American Game

Saturday, Jan. 5th, 10:00 a.m. PT, NBC

Commits to Watch:

Myles Jack (West) - Jack is originally from Georgia and recently moved to Washington. At 6'3 230 lbs., Jack may be able to play a similar role as Anthony Barr. He is very athletic and has been shooting up the ranking boards. Scout currently lists him as the #4 OLB. Washington, Oregon, and Mississippi State are thought to be UCLA's main competition for his services.

Christian Morris (East) - At 6'6 285 lbs., he has good size and could probably play immediately if necessary. It may be hard to keep Morris from Tennessee with Butch Jones coming aboard, and Morris also has a visit scheduled with Oklahoma.

Targets to Watch:

Eddie Vanderdoes (West) - Vanderdoes recently decommitted from USC, and UCLA has been aggressive in pursuit of the elite DT. Besides UCLA and USC, Notre Dame and Alabama are both pursuing Vanderdoes as well.

Tahaan Goodman (West) - Goodman and Willis have not made it a secret that they intend to play college football together, and it would be an absolute coup to sign them both. Goodman is a 6'2 190 lbs. safety that would get significant playing time from day one. He does not appear to be in any hurry to commit, with UCLA, USC, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma among his suitors.

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There are other targets playing in the games, but the ones listed above appear to be those that UCLA has a shot with and is actively recruiting. Feel free to share any other targets to watch, and use this thread as the open thread for the three games this weekend. Enjoy!