Thursday, February 6, 1997
FOOTBALL:
Talented signees include grandson of Jackie Robinson, numerous
prep All-AmericansBy Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
With another national letter of intent day come and gone, the
UCLA football team is hoping that it reaped a windfall class for
next fall.
Highlighting the list of 20 signees are 16 prep All-Americans,
one of whom is the grandson of a famous alum.
Jesse Simms, a 6-foot-3-inch, 265-pound defensive lineman, is
the grandson of former Bruin and athletic pioneer Jackie Robinson.
A native of Norwalk, Conn., Simms was named to Super Prep’s
All-America team.
The Bruins reeled in another Super Prep All-American in the form
of 6-foot, 175-pound wide receiver Freddie Mitchell II. Mitchell,
who hails from Lakeland, Fla. and runs a 4.4 40, is one of the top
wideouts coming out of high school this year.
Three other Bruin signees  offensive lineman Troy Danoff,
linebacker Santi Hall and quarterback Ed Stansbury  were
named to the PrepStar Dream Team, with 13 others being named
PrepStar All-Americans.
"We feel that our recruiting efforts were very successful," UCLA
football coach Bob Toledo said. "We filled our positional needs and
improved our athleticism and size at key positions. The strength of
this group is its quality from top to bottom. We expect many of
them to have an impact on our program very quickly."
All told, the Bruins reeled in two quarterbacks, three wide
receivers, four offensive linemen, one tight end and one
placekicker. On the defensive end, UCLA signed four linemen, two
linebackers and three defensive backs.
"Our number one priority was to add depth and size to our
offensive and defensive lines," said Toledo.
In a break from past recruiting efforts as well as offering an
encouraging harbinger for the future, seven of the 20 signees
hailed from out-of-state, including such football hotbeds as Texas
and Florida. Such inroads are being touted as a positive by the
Bruin brain trust.
"One of our goals was to expand our recruiting base … we have
made great strides in that area."