After a National Letter of Intent Steering Committee hearing on Monday, multiple media outlets have reported that ESPN five-star defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes has been cleared immediately to play for UCLA.
The highly touted recruit from Placer High School in Auburn, Calif. initially committed to Notre Dame and signed his national letter of intent in February. In June, Vanderdoes announced that he planned to leave Notre Dame and enroll at UCLA to be closer to his ailing grandmother, an action that left Notre Dame with the option of releasing Vanderdoes from his NLI.
Shortly thereafter, Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly issued a statement outlining the school’s reasoning for declining to greenlight the release.
“We did not release him from his national letter of intent in order to protect the integrity of that very important program,” Kelly said in a statement in early June.
Vanderdoes, who would have had to sit out the 2013 football season and lose a year of eligibility with an upheld non-release, appealed to retain his eligibility.
His clearance fills an imminent need for UCLA, a team that is still gauging the severity of a hip injury that earlier this year required surgery for senior defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. The Bruins also experienced the loss of redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Tuliaupupu to a torn anterior cruciate ligament during spring practice.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 305 pounds, freshman Vanderdoes will compete right away for a starting defensive tackle position in UCLA’s 3-4 defense.
During his senior year at Placer High School, Vanderdoes recorded 72 tackles, including 9 sacks, en route to being selected for the U.S. Army All-America Bowl.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.