As expected, all 22 players who had verbally committed to the
UCLA football team sent in their National Letters of Intent on
Wednesday.
Some recruits had high school ceremonies in their honor, while
others just spent the day celebrating with their families.
But either way, coach Karl Dorrell’s third recruiting
class is now in the books.
“It was a great class, my best at UCLA,” Dorrell
said. “We needed to get the core of this program going in the
right direction and we did that.
“And we got some pretty good athletes as well.”
There was optimism among Bruin fans late Wednesday afternoon
after rumors surfaced that quarterback recruit Garrett Green of
Sherman Oaks would commit to UCLA, but those were quickly
extinguished later in the day when Green signed his letter of
intent with USC.
Even without Green, the class provides many players who can be
expected to compete for starting positions right away for the
Bruins.
The most promising is junior college transfer Nick Ekbatani, who
has already enrolled in classes at UCLA and is expected to
participate in spring practice, beginning next month.
“Having that extra learning curve, Nick is going to really
benefit,” Dorrell said. “He’s been doing a great
job for us already, and he will be able to help us with the
injuries we’ve had at the tackle position.”
Dorrell said Wednesday that he also expects numerous members of
his class to compete at both sides of the ball.
The most likely candidates for Dorrell’s plan are safety
Christian Ramirez, cornerback Alterraun Verner and lineman Andy
Keane. All three played multiple positions in high school.
“They all have exceptional athletic ability and were
recruited on the basis that they have the chance to compete on
offense and defense,” Dorrell said. “I’m
especially intrigued by Ramirez’s ability to play tailback,
and Andy to play on the defensive line, even though we recruited
them mostly at safety and tackle.”
However, even those players will have to fight for starting
positions, and Dorrell feels that all the high school recruits, no
matter their size or recruiting status, will have no better chance
than any other to contribute right away for the Bruins.
“Its so hard to tell right now who will have the biggest
impact of all the recruits,” Dorrell said. “Its all
about who progresses the most between now and when fall camp begins
in August.”
All together, the Bruins’ full-size recruiting class of 22
represents a move in the right direction and has the Bruin coaching
staff looking optimistic for the future.
“We’ve accounted for everything we needed to,
we’ve got all the linemen we needed to,” Dorrell said.
“Now, we’re just ready to go out there and get on the
football field.”
EXTRA POINTS: Coach Dorrell said that incoming freshman long
snapper Christian Yount will likely redshirt next year. … Dorrell
also said that the Bruins’ top recruit, receiver Terrence
Austin, was “the most polished receiver that we’ve
recruited.”