Football Recruiting
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1994Bruin
Joined: 1/05/15 Posts: 1,695

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MOOOOOB!!!
Posted Mon, Jun 14 7:42 pm (Edited Mon, Jun 14 7:42 pm)
AJ Jones decommits.

https://twitter.com/thtkid_aj6/status/1404644182212317187


Anyone could see this coming. Once you commit to Chip, generally no visits. That trip to Arizona was a giant red flag. I have a feeling this was a mutual parting.

GO BRUINS!!!
🐻💙💛
iammrblue
Joined: 3/03/14 Posts: 421
He is feeling the love from Arizona
Posted Mon, Jun 14 8:05 pm
In response to MOOOOOB!! (1994Bruin)
4sUP!
Bruininrancho
Joined: 8/05/17 Posts: 2,570
No wr this class so far while already
Posted Mon, Jun 14 8:07 pm (Edited Mon, Jun 14 8:07 pm)
In response to He is feeling the love from Arizona (iammrblue)
Not having any true game breaker and star wrs on this team right now. Maybe some guys will break out this year but right now we have no one on the outside that truly scares any defense.
Crispy
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 6,904
Where’s Davonte Smith when you need him?
Posted Mon, Jun 14 8:31 pm
In response to No wr this class so far while already (Bruininrancho)
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a dude like that with so much separation....
OswegoBruin
Joined: 11/11/10 Posts: 17,107
When is the last time UCLA had a "gamebreaking" WR?
Posted Tue, Jun 15 5:42 am (Edited Tue, Jun 15 5:45 am)
In response to No wr this class so far while already (Bruininrancho)
The closest we've had was Jordan Payton, and he wasn't even an all-conference player.

The simple fact is the positions we're succeeding in recruiting are positions we've had success in both in college and putting kids into the NFL:

-RB
-LB
-DB
-TE
-OT
-DL

Notice neither on those list was a QB or WR, in many ways because SC has basically locked down those positions for the foreseeable future. Until we have a big time WR in the conference who goes high in the draft, we're not going to recruit that position at an elite level.

I'm not terribly worried. We brought in Keontez, DJ Justice, Kam Brown, Staples, and Newcombe in the last class. I don't think WR is that big of a priority in this class.
Wandering Jomad
Joined: 6/29/12 Posts: 3,811

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Agree with this post, and
Posted Tue, Jun 15 7:06 am
In response to When is the last time UCLA had a "gamebreaking" WR? (OswegoBruin)
I believe that our offense will be prolific enough this season that next cycle we’ll have a lot of interest from offensive skill players. Plus, Jerry Neu will have had time to establish himself as a WR coach.

For WR, it will help a lot if an individual emerges as a go to target or big play guy.
OswegoBruin
Joined: 11/11/10 Posts: 17,107
RE: Our offense
Posted Tue, Jun 15 7:56 am
In response to Agree with this post, and (Wandering Jomad)
I've been thinking about that a lot lately.

I think our run game will be excellent, and I think we will be very hard to stop in the short field with our ability to pound the ball with Brown and Charbonnet, misdirect with DTR, and go over the top with Dulcich.

I think many teams will stack the box against us, which means we will need our WRs to step up and make plays. Kyle Phillips and others in the WR screen game, and guys like Delon Hurt and (hopefully) Keontez Lewis in the deep ball game. If we can get a reliable outside receiver, our offense will be VERY difficult to stop.
Bruin9602
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 127
Jordan Lasley
Posted Tue, Jun 15 1:28 pm
In response to When is the last time UCLA had a "gamebreaking" WR? (OswegoBruin)
I think Lasley was the last guy we had that was a gamebreaker, mostly during his final year in 2017. Doesn’t really change anything you said, since he was drafted around the same spot as Payton, and he was pre-Chip.

I’d be ecstatic to have a WR corp with guys like Payton, Lasley, and Duarte (another personal favorite). Doesn’t seem too far fetched, and maybe we can get there with our current roster. Like you said down thread, our running game should be strong, and open things up for the WRs.
OswegoBruin
Joined: 11/11/10 Posts: 17,107
Your post highlights my issue
Posted Tue, Jun 15 1:37 pm
In response to Jordan Lasley (Bruin9602)
Yes, Lasley was great, as was Payton. But neither of them were all conference players. That's where we stand overall, and I'm hopeful this year we can really showcase some receivers to the conference and the nation, and entice some higher profile guys to us.
BelmontBruin
Joined: 1/30/15 Posts: 479
Maybe some of these wr's don't want to block so much
Posted Tue, Jun 15 2:57 pm
In response to Your post highlights my issue (OswegoBruin)
and would rather catch the rock. Problem is, in the NFL all wr's are asked to block, as well as catch. Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, etc. great @ doing both.I think Bruins coaches are asking their receivers to do both if they want playing time.
UclanDoIt
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 3,922

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Blocking is important, but elite WRs want the NFL
Posted Tue, Jun 15 4:45 pm
In response to Maybe some of these wr's don't want to block so much (BelmontBruin)
Blocking or not, SC is running a WR friendly offense under OC Harrell. In addition, some of their WRs have been getting drafted in the early rounds by the NFL.

If I recall correctly, the last UCLA WR selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft was Freddie Mitchell back in 2001 (first round, Philadelphia Eagles). Until this happens, it will be tougher for HC Kelly to bring in the elite WRs (who all dream of playing in the NFL).

I'm hoping the UCLA running game becomes dominant this season and opens up the passing lanes for the WRs. I think higher production from the WR corps will generate increased interest recruiting-wise.