UCLA will kick off spring practice April 2. Some of the highly touted players from the latest Bruin recruiting class are expected to participate, including quarterback Richard Brehaut and tight end Morrell Presley.
All practices will be held at Spaulding Field (adjacent to Pauley Pavilion) and are open to the public. The final session, a spring scrimmage April 25, will be held at the Rose Bowl.
Tentative dates and times (subject to change):
- Week 1— April 2 (4 p.m.), April 3 (4 p.m.) and April 4 (11 a.m.)
- Week 2 — April 6 (4 p.m.), April 7 (4 p.m.), April 9 (4 p.m.) and April 11 (12:30 p.m.)
- Week 3 — April 13 (4 p.m.), April 14 (4 p.m.), April 16 (4 p.m.) and April 17 (4 p.m.)
- Week 4 — April 20 (4 p.m.), April 21 (4 p.m.), April 23 (4 p.m.), April 25 (7 p.m. spring scrimmage at the Rose Bowl)
—Adam Rose
Photo: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times
National letter of intent day, when high school football recruits
pledge their services to college programs around America, was last week
— but there's still plenty of buzz.
We kept most of our recruiting coverage on the Fabulous Forum, so if you haven't checked out the football signings category you should take a look.
If you need more, here are the top 10 links that will make you sound like an expert on any L.A. sports talk radio show:
- It's not easy being a freshmen, and it's especially hard to make an impact as a freshman football player. These five could do it. [Rivals.com]
- USC, as usual, signed the best class in the Pac-10. UCLA, unexpectedly, was right on its heels. Find out how the conference stacked up. [ESPN]
- While the nation gushes over five-star recruits, the player rankings are hardly a perfect system. [Associated Press]
- As a result, team recruiting rankings don't always translate, either. [Da Wiz]
- Manti Te'o going to Notre Dame was the biggest news of the day, but did UCLA's Norm Chow make a last-ditch effort to keep him from USC? [Orange County Register]
- What's it like inside Rick Neuheisel's office on signing day? Bruce Feldman went in as an embedded reporter. [ESPN]
- Bryce Brown, the nation's top unsigned recruit, has, well, a very close advisor. Sounds more like a ticking time bomb. [New York Times]
- Actually, it gets even worse. [Dr. Saturday]
- The final list (we think) of USC commits. [USCRipsIt.com]
- The final list of UCLA commits. [UCLABruins.com]
—Adam Rose
A lot of hype becomes official and a few surprises are sure to be in
store ... today is National Letter of Intent Day. It's the first chance
that high school recruits have to formally commit to their new school.
For updates throughout the day, keep an eye on the Fabulous Forum where we've created a special football signings category so you can get your fix.
-- Adam Rose
UCLA linebacker coach Chuck Bullough has been promoted to defensive coordinator. He takes over for DeWayne Walker, who left the Bruins to become the head coach at New Mexico State.
Before his three years as an assistant in Westwood, Bullough had a brief stint at Western Michigan. From 1999 to 2003, he spent time coaching every single defensive position group and special teams for the Chicago Bears.
It also was announced Monday that former UCLA All-American and NFL Pro Bowler Carnell Lake was hired to coach the Bruins' secondary. Lake hasn't had major coaching experience before, but with 12 years of NFL experience his credentials as a player are exceptional.
Coach Rick Neuheisel said Lake "will be a great asset in recruiting. He grew up in Los Angeles, went to school at UCLA, was a great student and played for a long time in the NFL. He is the prototype of the young men we are looking to recruit to UCLA."
—Adam Rose
Top photo: Chuck Bullough
Bottom photo: Carnell Lake in the Super Bowl.
Credit: Mike Powell / AllSport
UCLA held its annual football awards banquet Wednesday at the Beverly Hilton. Brigham Harwell was named defensive MVP and Terrence Austin was named offensive MVP.
Harwell, a team captain and key part of a stout defensive unit, was named second-team All-Pac-10 after making 53 tackles, including six for a loss. Austin had some gaudy stats, setting UCLA season records for all-purpose yards (1,878), kickoff return yards (1,109) and
kickoff returns (46). He ranked 16th in the NCAA in all-purpose
yardage.
Kevin Craft was named the team's best leader on offense. The redshirt junior had a rough season (seven touchdowns, 20 interceptions and 32 sacks) when he was thrust into a starting role after the Bruins' top two quarterbacks were lost to injuries. Considering his performance, the fact that he just stepped onto campus last spring, and that he seems like a quiet guy, it's an interesting selection. He'll be challenged for the starting role next year, but maybe this means he's got a decent leg up on the competition.
More than 20 Bruins were honored with awards:
Read on »
President-elect Barack Obama has grumbled about the BCS, but kept the tone upbeat.
"Saturday Night Live" weighed in this weekend with a much sharper tongue.
It attacked the system with seething sarcasm. If you're one of those who gave up on the show a few years ago, it's actually funny again (particularly Andy Samberg).
Nice job by longtime cast member Will Forte on this song: "Will there be a playoff in place before UCLA is in contention for a national title?"
UPDATE: A couple of readers have pointed out that Will Forte is, of course, a UCLA alum. He was a history major and member of Lambda Chi Alpha.
—Adam Rose
Matt Barkley looked like an unassuming freshman as he stood in line
to enter Galen Center on Sunday night for the UCLA-USC basketball game. He had to arrive early to
get a good seat, just like any other student.
Most of the people in
line probably didn't realize they were next to the first person
ever named Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school
junior. Barkley just enrolled in classes, meaning
he should participate in spring ball.
No sign of Richard Brehaut, a Bruin commit who's considered the
second best quarterback in the state after Barkley. UCLA is on a
quarter system, with the winter session starting last week. Brehaut is
expected to enroll next quarter, just in time for spring practice.
Thanks to UCLA's schedule, no incoming Bruins technically had to enroll
this early, but tight end Morrell Presley is already taking classes at
UCLA. The nation's top tight end, according to Scout.com, made waves by
decommitting from USC and making his new home in Westwood.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Richard Brehaut
Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
It took until bowl season, but the Pac-10 is doing well in its out-of-conference football games. The league is 3-0, with Oregon State and USC
still to play. Before the postseason, the Pac-10 was 14-17 against
other conferences — and one of those was Washington State's win over a
Division 2 school.
Here's a look at what UCLA's 2008 opponents have done so far in the
bowls. Before the season started, a lot of pundits thought the Bruins faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Ultimately, they faced seven bowl teams.
Done:
- Oregon — beat Oklahoma State, 42-31, in the Holiday Bowl
- Arizona and BYU — Arizona won, 31-21, in the Las Vegas Bowl
- Cal — beat Miami, 24-17, in the Emerald Bowl
- Fresno State — lost to Colorado State, 40-35, in the New Mexico Bowl
Coming up:
- Oregon State — facing Pitt in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31
- USC — facing Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1
—Adam Rose
Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / US Presswire
After it was announced that UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker will be taking the head coaching job at New Mexico State, Bruin Coach Rick Neuheisel released the following statement:
"I am thrilled for DeWayne and his family. It’s an exciting time for New Mexico State and an exciting time for UCLA, because one of our coaches has earned the opportunity to be a head coach. I have no doubt he will enjoy success at New Mexico State.
"DeWayne is a first-class coach and a first-class man who certainly deserves the opportunity to run his own program. DeWayne has been a terrific asset to UCLA, both on and off the field, and he will be missed. I, and the entire UCLA family, thank him for what he has done for our program and wish him well.
"I hope to fill the defensive coordinator position in the next few weeks. Because I felt there was an excellent chance DeWayne would get a head coaching opportunity, I have a list of candidates for the position. Nothing will occur until the staff reconvenes on Sunday and we discuss the candidates together. Our first priority is to continue to build an outstanding recruiting class."
—Adam Rose
Photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
If coaching jobs are like players, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel's first big recruit was DeWayne Walker.
Today, the talented five-star moved onto the next level. Walker will be the head coach next season for New Mexico State.
Walker served for three years as UCLA's defensive coordinator and was considered for the Bruins' top job last year before Neuheisel signed on. Neuheisel was able to keep him on board for another season as Walker managed one of the lone bright spots for UCLA — a defense that held opponents to under 168 passing yards per game, 11th best in the nation (UCLA was second heading into the season finale).
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