In the couple of weeks before signing day, Crenshaw High School defensive tackle Brian Price had his mind set. He had verbally committed to UCLA 11 months prior, and the prized recruit was not going to waver now ““ even with USC coaches Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. sitting in his living room.
Usually when Carroll wants a recruit, he gets him. But this one was different.
With family friend and former Crenshaw assistant coach Eric Scott at his side, Price refused to even visit USC. Carroll and former UCLA All-American Norton did not take this well.
Knowing Price was heavily favoring UCLA, Norton began to criticize the same Bruins’ program that he had played for from 1984-1987. Sitting in for Price’s father, who couldn’t make it, Scott defended his player and his school. The former UCLA receiver refused to let Norton and Carroll intimidate Price.
Carroll balked at Price’s refusal to visit USC and made the fatal mistake of questioning the young player’s character, Price told the Los Angeles Daily News recently.
That didn’t go over so well with Price’s mother, who promptly showed them the door.
As promised, Price signed with the Bruins a short time later, becoming the prized possession of the 2007 class. A few weeks later, the determined Scott was hired as UCLA’s wide receivers coach, triggering a domino effect of commitments for the 2008 class.
Though his long-term impact has yet to be shown, it is clear Scott is not afraid to butt heads with some of the best programs in the country for recruits and lay the groundwork for UCLA to return to the top of the Pac-10.
In the four days after Scott was hired on March 6, UCLA verbally committed ten recruits (one of whom backed out on Tuesday) giving the Bruins their best early recruiting start in recent memory.
“I’d say this is by far the fastest start (coach Karl) Dorrell’s got at UCLA,” said Brandon Huffman, the West regional analyst for Scout.com. “This is one of the best starts UCLA’s had in probably a decade.”
It is no coincidence that this promising class immediately followed Scott’s hiring. After working as an intern for UCLA football last season and spending seven years as a Crenshaw assistant coach, Scott’s inner city roots vaulted him as a strong candidate for the coaching position. For many kids in the inner city, the 32-year-old Scott is proof that they can succeed and is motivational for kids who want to follow in his footsteps. Scott also grew up in Los Angeles, attending Crenshaw High School where he earned All-America honors and played as a receiver for three seasons at UCLA before graduating with a degree in sociology.
“He’s very well respected,” Huffman said. “He came out of the city and had success in college. He’s very intelligent and like a father figure to a lot of these kids.”
For 2008 commit Rahim Moore, Scott’s hiring was a major factor in his decision. The two met through the Crenshaw-Dorsey high school rivalry in Moore’s freshman year at Dorsey when Scott invited him to a football camp.
“He relates more to the children,” Moore said. “He was the guy that really brought me towards UCLA. He was real cool.”
With Moore verbally committing, the Bruins are in position to land the top defensive back in the West and one of the top five in the nation, despite competing with the best football programs in the country.
Until Moore or any player signs a letter of intent, though, other teams can still recruit them. Name a top-tier school and Moore has most likely been recruited by them ““ Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Florida and USC are all on the list. Despite verbally committing to the Bruins, the 17-year-old still plans to visit Michigan, Miami and Auburn.
“It’s all a blessing for me,” Moore said. “All of the hard work is paying off. Sometimes you get tired of it, but you worked hard so this is what you asked for.
“My family’s real genuine. They just want to do what’s best, basically just make them proud. I’ll be the first person in my family to go to college.”
Although he is still looking at other schools, Moore is also looking forward to joining the other commits at the Rose Bowl to play for the Bruins.
“We’re trying to get UCLA like an SEC defense but faster,” he said.
Along with Moore, the 2008 class is lined with high-quality players, all from the Southern California region. Wide receiver Kemonte Bateman, of Crenshaw, is the top offensive player who has committed so far and is expected to make an immediate impact.
“He will be the best receiver that Dorrell’s brought in,” Huffman said. “He’s the complete package. … With Bateman, the vertical passing game will improve.”
Bateman played under Scott for two years, a major reason for his early commitment to the Bruins.
“E-Scott is a big reason,” Bateman told Scout.com. “I mean, I like all of the coaches but E-Scott was my coach at Crenshaw and I learned a lot from him. He’s been telling me to take care of my business so I can play there.”
Besides Moore and Bateman, the Bruins have landed verbal commitments from linebackers Uona Kavienga and Johnathan Franklin and defensive ends Datone Jones and Damien Holmes, among others.
“You don’t hear so much about Holmes but he’s a big-time player,” Huffman said. “He’s one of the few kids who was all-CIF on both sides of the ball.”
Holmes wanted to stay local and once he visited UCLA last Saturday, he knew Westwood was the place for him.
“The thing that sealed the deal was seeing the campus,” Holmes said. “It was amazing.
“I just want to get out there, and no matter how it is, I just want to help the football program.”
Although the Bruins have started off strong with a solid list of commits, the 2008 recruiting battle is far from over. UCLA is still in the hunt for highly rated local running backs Milton Knox and Darrell Scott, and New Mexico quarterback Landry Jones, the only quarterback UCLA has offered in the 2008 class.
Though college recruiting never ends, it is apparent that Scott’s impact has already changed the way people view UCLA’s program.
“They’re not your old UCLA teams that roll over and die,” Huffman said. “The one thing that Scott brings, he won’t back down from anybody.”
And if the incident at the Price home is any indicator, the recruiting battle between UCLA and USC is about to get a lot more interesting.