After tying a school record in wins with 10 in the 2013-2014 season, UCLA football will soon get a glimpse at its future and a possibility to build on those 10 wins. Wednesday marks National Signing Day for college football when UCLA will see who the playmakers of its future could be.
The Bruins’ renaissance on the field has helped UCLA become an increasingly popular destination for high school prospects; UCLA’s 2013 recruiting class was ranked No. 3 in the nation by Scout.com. The Bruins will head into this year’s National Signing Day ranked No. 20, but with several uncommitted top recruits who still have UCLA on their final lists, the Bruins have a chance to replicate last season’s recruiting success.
Here’s a look at what to expect for UCLA when the dust of signing day settles.
Offense
Quarterback:
Aaron Sharp – QB, 3-star (Verbal commit)
While redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley decided to remain in Westwood for another year, the Bruins were still in dire need of another quarterback on scholarship, if only for depth and in-case-of-injury reasons. Sharp, a three-star recruit who verbally committed to UCLA on Jan. 20, would provide competition for freshman Asiantii Woulard at the backup quarterback spot.
Running back:
Nathan Starks – RB, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Kalen Ballage – RB, 3-star
Running back was another area of need that the Bruins didn’t fill until late. After five-star Joe Mixon passed on UCLA for Oklahoma – announced during the Army All-America Bowl – the Bruins got their man the same day. Starks, a four-star recruit out of Englewood, Colo. announced his commitment on Jan. 4 and could compete for a spot in the running back committee in fall camp.
Ballage, also from Colorado, has yet to commit, but reportedly has UCLA on his list heading into National Signing Day. The three-star recruit would give the Bruins added depth at the position.
Wide receiver:
Malachi Dupre – WR, 5-star
Michiah Quick – WR, 4-star
Austin Roberts – WR, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Alex Van Dyke – WR, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Jordan Lasley – WR, 3-star (Verbal commit)
UCLA has three commits – four-stars Austin Roberts and Alex Van Dyke and three-star Jordan Lasley – already on board, but could hit the jackpot should two of the nation’s top receivers also ink with the Bruins on Wednesday.
But with the visit on the last weekend before signing day, UCLA seems to have gotten the final word in Dupre’s ear and has fighting chance to snag one of the top playmakers in the 2014 class.
While not ranked as high as Dupre, four-star Michiah Quick looks to be capable of a similar playmaking impact. Smaller but shiftier than Dupre, Quick could bring a different dimension to the Bruin offense.
However, while still on his list, UCLA could be facing an uphill battle. Two of Quick’s teammates from Central High School East Campus in Fresno – defensive backs Hatari Byrd and L.J. Moore – signed with Oklahoma last season, and with Mixon’s commitment, the Sooners seem to be the favorites to get Quick.
Offensive line:
Damien Mama – OG, 5-star
NaJee Toran – C, 3-star (Verbal commit)
Kolton Miller -OG, 3-star (Verbal commit)
After recruiting a strong offensive line class last year that brought in six players, four of whom were four-star prospects (excluding Christian Morris, who transferred), the Bruins didn’t have a dire necessity for more linemen this year.
They secured two commitments from three star prospects in center NaJee Toran and guard Kolton Miller and offered highly regarded five-star guard Damien Mama. However, Mama, who was scheduled to visit Westwood this past weekend, canceled his visit and revised his top three schools, announcing on Twitter that only Alabama, BYU and USC had made the final cut.
Defense
Defensive line:
Solomon Thomas – DE, 5-star
Ainuu Taua – DT, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Jacob Tuioti-Mariner – DE, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Davon Godchaux – DE, 4-star
Matt Dickerson – DE, 4-star (Verbal commit)
While the offensive line won’t get a large influx of new players next year, the defensive side of the trenches appears to be getting just that for UCLA. The Bruins have three verbal commitments, all from four-star players. Defensive tackle Ainuu Taua and defensive ends Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and Matt Dickerson all appear Westwood-bound next year, but UCLA has a few prospects left on the table that could join those three.
Four-star defensive end Davon Godchaux from Plaquemine, La., came on the visit over the weekend, though UCLA will have to compete against several SEC schools to win Godchaux’s services.
The big potential get for the Bruins, however, is five-star defensive end Solomon Thomas. Thomas narrowed his final list down to UCLA, Stanford and Arkansas, but UCLA winning that race seems unlikely though. Stanford has already admitted Thomas, who seems primed to head to Palo Alto next year.
Linebackers:
Rashaan Evans – OLB, 5-star
Zach Whitley – ILB, 4-star (Signed)
Kenny Young – ILB, 4-star
Cameron Griffin – ILB, 3-star (Verbal commit)
Dwight Williams – OLB, 3-star (Verbal commit)
Despite losing outside linebacker Anthony Barr and inside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA – the self-proclaimed “Linebacker U” – looks poised to quickly find talented replacements for the NFL-bound seniors. Four-star inside linebacker Zach Whitley flipped his commitment from Alabama to UCLA on Jan. 3 and has already signed his letter of intent and enrolled. Joining him next year are three-star commits Cameron Griffin, an inside linebacker, and Dwight Williams, an outside linebacker.
However, the Bruins could bring in an even more impressive group. Four-star inside linebacker Kenny Young was among the visitors over the weekend and has reportedly been leaning toward signing with UCLA for a while.
But the potential star of the linebacker group, and UCLA’s recruit class as a whole, is five-star outside linebacker Rashaan Evans, ranked the top in his class at his position. Evans cancelled his unofficial visit to Westwood, which would have been part of the big group that came over the weekend, but did not cross the Bruins off his list.
Like many of UCLA’s other top targets from the South, Evans will not be easy to get. Hailing from Auburn, Ala., Evans has national-title runner-up Auburn in his backyard and the Bruin must also compete with Alabama, which won national titles in 2012, 2011 and 2009.
Defensive backs:
John “Juju” Smith – S, 5-star
Adoree Jackson – CB, 5-star
Bishard “Budda” Baker – S, 4-star
Jaleel Wadood – S, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Adarius Pickett – CB, 4-star (Verbal commit)
Mattrell McGraw – S, 3-star
Denzel Fisher – CB, 3-star (Verbal commit)
Ron Robinson – S, 3-star (Signed)
The deepest positional group of UCLA’s recruiting class looks to be the defensive backs. The Bruins already have four commits and could potentially add four more.
Another five-star recruit still considering UCLA is safety John “Juju” Smith out of Long Beach Poly. The Bruins look to be a long shot to sign Smith however, as he also has USC and Oregon on his list and seems to be leaning in one of those two directions.
Bishard “Budda” Baker could prove to be a more-than-acceptable consolation prize, though; the four-star safety rivals Smith in both ability and nickname. Baker decommitted from Oregon and now has just UCLA and Washington on his radar.
While Washington has the proximity advantage – Baker hails from Bellevue, Wash. – UCLA actually holds an edge in terms of Baker’s hometown. Baker was high school teammates with UCLA freshman linebacker/running back Myles Jack and, like Jack, played on both sides of the ball in high school. UCLA proved with Jack it was open to the idea of having a two-way player, so the opportunity to pair with a high school teammate and continue to stand out as both a safety and an offensive playmaker could be too much for Baker to pass up.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.