In a last-ditch effort to secure heralded Long Beach Poly
defensive tackle Kevin Brown on Tuesday, UCLA sent him “The
National Championship Puzzle” with a note that read,
“Kevin, you’re our missing piece.”
Brown told the Bruin coaching staff he was coming to Westwood
Wednesday, but later decided not to send in his letter of intent,
leaving UCLA still missing a part of that puzzle.
“Kevin wasn’t really sure of his decision,”
Long Beach Poly head coach Raul Lara said. “He needed to talk
with his mother. He and his mother are still undecided about
what’s best for him.”
Brown is expected to decide between Florida State and UCLA
today.
In his 42 days as head coach, UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell
personally picked up commitments from 13 of the 17 players who
returned National Letters of Intent to the university Wednesday. An
excellent month of January salvaged the recruiting season, given
coaching turmoil ““ Bob Toledo was fired as head coach on Dec.
9 ““ and the rise of USC’s football program.
“You’re dealt with the hand you get,” Dorrell
said. “We were behind as a staff. But I’m very excited
about the class. We had a good finish with some key people who can
be strong contributors for us.”
Dorrell said his first priority in recruiting was to retain the
players who had committed to former head coach Bob Toledo ““
no easy task, given that players have to build a new relationship
with a new coach.
“I had to see who UCLA would hire first,” said
safety Dennis Keyes, who considered Cal and UCLA after
Toledo’s firing before settling on the Bruins. “You
develop a bond with the coach, and I had to see if I fit in with
the new coach. As it turns out, I did.”
Possibly the gem of the class is Concord De La Salle running
back Maurice Drew. He originally wasn’t recruited by UCLA,
but came to Westwood with the help of Dorrell’s staff.
Dorrell’s decision to hire charismatic recruiters like
running backs coach Eric Bieniemy and wide receivers coach Jon
Embree had an influential role in the Bruins’ recruiting
finish.
“Coach Toledo told me I was too small,” said the
5-foot-8-inch Drew. “But when Bieniemy and Embree came here,
I knew I was going to UCLA. This coaching group is more aggressive
than anyone else, and they’ll do well for years to come. When
they want you, they really come after you.”
UCLA’s class is loaded with stars and sleepers. Some were
highly recruited by every Pac-10 squad. Others, such as Jimmy
Stephens, Nikola Dragovic, Chris Horton and Michael Pitre,
didn’t get much notice from around the rest of the league but
caught the eyes of the Bruins’ coaching staff.
“We have a handful of guys that are surprise guys,”
Dorrell said. “It would be a guy that you’d say,
“˜Who is this guy?’ He’s not well-known, but he
does certain things that we like as a football player that makes
him a tremendous asset to us.”
With six seniors graduating next year, improving the defensive
line was a huge goal for the new coaching staff. While the Bruins
waited for Brown, high school teammate Junior Lemau’u
committed to UCLA and will bring a fiery attitude to the defensive
line.
“Junior is an impact player,” Lara said. “He
has strength and speed, and UCLA is getting a top-notch player who
can help immediately.”
As far as this class is concerned, it will be several years
before anyone really knows the quality of the recruits.
Nevertheless, in a marked change from the Toledo era, Dorrell
has taken an aggressive approach to recruiting and made it a point
to establish UCLA in the Los Angeles area.
“Dorrell has already come to Poly and sat down with me and
the recruits,” Lara said.
“I have never seen Toledo at the school, and I have never
met him. If there’s a drastic difference between those two
coaches, it’s that Dorrell is more involved in recruiting. He
seems to be coming out to schools and talking to coaches and
players. And it makes a huge difference.”
Despite Dorrell’s efforts, it was the Trojans and not the
Bruins who made headlines with their recruiting class, inking the
consensus No. 1 class in the Pac-10, and No. 3 in the nation,
according to cnnsi.com and TheInsiders.com.
With recruiting all but complete, the UCLA coaches will now
focus on putting together a playbook. Spring practice looms on the
horizon, as Dorrell and Co. continue to find out what pieces they
have exactly.
Still, the Bruins will await word on Brown. He could be the
final piece of their recruiting puzzle.