Theo talks with Mora, but not Mazzone
Four-star WR Theo Howard and definitely the Bruins' best commitment in the 2016 class is set to move into UCLA on Monday morning.
But before he does that, he said he had a chat with Jim Mora about all the NFL rumors.
"I talked to him," Howard said of UCLA's head coach. "We didn't really go (too much into the NFL rumors), but I don’t think he's going anywhere really."
Howard is the second early enrollee, joining four-star LB Lokeni Toailoa, to say he's talked with Mora about the NFL rumors. Like Toailoa, he too is confident Mora is staying.
Howard, however, wasn't as sure about Noel Mazzone. The receiver said he hasn't been in contact with the offensive coordinator recently. Reports say Mazzone could be gearing up to take the Texas A&M offensive coordinator job. A message to Mazzone seeking comment on the reports was not returned Sunday.
Either way, Howard said a Mazzone departure would not change anything with his UCLA plans.
Jack Jones vibe
We had the chance to speak with two separate sources close to four-star ATH Jack Jones this week. One source believed Texas A&M will be his pick. The other, though, was far more confident Jones would end up at USC.
"It's just like Iman (Marshall)," the source said.
The source believed Jones - just like five-star corner Iman Marshall did - is taking all of his visits and enjoying the recruiting ride, but will ultimately pledge for the Trojans on Signing Day. Neither of the sources gave UCLA much of a chance at all in Jones' commitment.
Burton waiting for Mora
We spoke with a source earlier this week who told us four-star ATH Brandon Burton was going to commit to UCLA on Saturday with a viral video. However, reports of Mora going to the NFL kicked up, and all the sudden Burton backed off those plans.
The same source told us this weekend that Burton is still in line to commit to UCLA, but he's now just waiting to see what Mora really does. Once the Mora dust settles, you can still expect a UCLA commitment, the source said.
Some Semper Fi evaluations
UCLA had five commitments playing in the Semper Fi game this weekend, plus one target. Here were my quick evaluations (for full video analysis, click here and here):
-I think you're going to have a tough time convincing me UCLA has signed a better skill position player (outside of Rosen) than four-star WR Theo Howard in Mora's tenure. Finally, a true playmaker for this team to work with on the outsides. He's a great route runner, and he showed in the game tonight he can do plenty of work after the catch as well. A real Marqise Lee type weapon who should be in line to start right away with a big offseason.
-As Blair mentioned in the video analysis above, we probably have Demetric Felton overrated as a four-star. He's shifty, quick and has the burst to do the things asked of an F-back in UCLA's system, but he doesn't look too much different than Darren Andrews did in high school. Still, Andrews is a pretty good F-back for UCLA, and I'd expect Felton to be similar after a year or so of redshirting.
-There's so much John Lopez in Michael Alves it's scary. While not quite as overweight as Lopez was in high school, Alves' body, footwork and pass pro need some serious work to be an effective starter anytime soon. With that said, Alves is a monster in the running game, with far more upside there than Lopez had. Alves had another huge pancake block as a pulling guard on one run that I saw, and he consistently moved guys out of the way to make holes. But he got beat badly about half a dozen times in pass pro throughout the night. Certainly a redshirt candidate for 2016.
-Three-star DL Osa Odighizuwa leaves a lot to be desired. He looks great physically, with long limbs and a nice frame. But literally every time he was double teamed tonight, he couldn't do a thing. You can tell he really hasn't been coached at all and will need some serious work with Angus McClure when he gets to campus. He has good traits, but he looks like he'll need a while to develop.
-Receiver Darian Owens was the best offensive player in the week's opening practice on Wednesday, but he didn’t play Sunday night. One Semper Fi rep told me he had to go home, although it doesn't sound like it was for disciplinary issues or anything like that.
-Three-star ATH Khaleke Hudson performed well in the game, and he reminds me a lot of a better version of high school Jayon Brown. He's small enough and quick enough to play safety at the moment, but he looks poised to be a linebacker sooner than later. UCLA is in his final four, but he has visits to Michigan, Penn State and Pitt set up for this month, and I'd be quite surprised if the Bruins beat out those three for the commitment.
Short Shots
-A source told us this week that UCLA is likely going to lose out to Michigan here in the next few weeks for Christian McCaffrey's little brother, four-star 2017 QB Dylan McCaffrey. The source said the young quarterback really liked UCLA and really thought he could beat out Matt Lynch when Rosen left. But Michigan made him a top priority and a visit there a few weeks ago probably sealed the deal.
-Four-star DL Rashard Lawrence named his top two of Ohio State and LSU this week. He visited UCLA in the fall and had the Bruins on his short list forever.
-Three-star OL Toleafoa Auwae said UCLA has reached out since his recent decommitment, but he has no interest in heading back to the Bruins. He had a solid week out at Semper Fi.
Four-star WR Theo Howard and definitely the Bruins' best commitment in the 2016 class is set to move into UCLA on Monday morning.
But before he does that, he said he had a chat with Jim Mora about all the NFL rumors.
"I talked to him," Howard said of UCLA's head coach. "We didn't really go (too much into the NFL rumors), but I don’t think he's going anywhere really."
Howard is the second early enrollee, joining four-star LB Lokeni Toailoa, to say he's talked with Mora about the NFL rumors. Like Toailoa, he too is confident Mora is staying.
Howard, however, wasn't as sure about Noel Mazzone. The receiver said he hasn't been in contact with the offensive coordinator recently. Reports say Mazzone could be gearing up to take the Texas A&M offensive coordinator job. A message to Mazzone seeking comment on the reports was not returned Sunday.
Either way, Howard said a Mazzone departure would not change anything with his UCLA plans.
Jack Jones vibe
We had the chance to speak with two separate sources close to four-star ATH Jack Jones this week. One source believed Texas A&M will be his pick. The other, though, was far more confident Jones would end up at USC.
"It's just like Iman (Marshall)," the source said.
The source believed Jones - just like five-star corner Iman Marshall did - is taking all of his visits and enjoying the recruiting ride, but will ultimately pledge for the Trojans on Signing Day. Neither of the sources gave UCLA much of a chance at all in Jones' commitment.
Burton waiting for Mora
We spoke with a source earlier this week who told us four-star ATH Brandon Burton was going to commit to UCLA on Saturday with a viral video. However, reports of Mora going to the NFL kicked up, and all the sudden Burton backed off those plans.
The same source told us this weekend that Burton is still in line to commit to UCLA, but he's now just waiting to see what Mora really does. Once the Mora dust settles, you can still expect a UCLA commitment, the source said.
Some Semper Fi evaluations
UCLA had five commitments playing in the Semper Fi game this weekend, plus one target. Here were my quick evaluations (for full video analysis, click here and here):
-I think you're going to have a tough time convincing me UCLA has signed a better skill position player (outside of Rosen) than four-star WR Theo Howard in Mora's tenure. Finally, a true playmaker for this team to work with on the outsides. He's a great route runner, and he showed in the game tonight he can do plenty of work after the catch as well. A real Marqise Lee type weapon who should be in line to start right away with a big offseason.
-As Blair mentioned in the video analysis above, we probably have Demetric Felton overrated as a four-star. He's shifty, quick and has the burst to do the things asked of an F-back in UCLA's system, but he doesn't look too much different than Darren Andrews did in high school. Still, Andrews is a pretty good F-back for UCLA, and I'd expect Felton to be similar after a year or so of redshirting.
-There's so much John Lopez in Michael Alves it's scary. While not quite as overweight as Lopez was in high school, Alves' body, footwork and pass pro need some serious work to be an effective starter anytime soon. With that said, Alves is a monster in the running game, with far more upside there than Lopez had. Alves had another huge pancake block as a pulling guard on one run that I saw, and he consistently moved guys out of the way to make holes. But he got beat badly about half a dozen times in pass pro throughout the night. Certainly a redshirt candidate for 2016.
-Three-star DL Osa Odighizuwa leaves a lot to be desired. He looks great physically, with long limbs and a nice frame. But literally every time he was double teamed tonight, he couldn't do a thing. You can tell he really hasn't been coached at all and will need some serious work with Angus McClure when he gets to campus. He has good traits, but he looks like he'll need a while to develop.
-Receiver Darian Owens was the best offensive player in the week's opening practice on Wednesday, but he didn’t play Sunday night. One Semper Fi rep told me he had to go home, although it doesn't sound like it was for disciplinary issues or anything like that.
-Three-star ATH Khaleke Hudson performed well in the game, and he reminds me a lot of a better version of high school Jayon Brown. He's small enough and quick enough to play safety at the moment, but he looks poised to be a linebacker sooner than later. UCLA is in his final four, but he has visits to Michigan, Penn State and Pitt set up for this month, and I'd be quite surprised if the Bruins beat out those three for the commitment.
Short Shots
-A source told us this week that UCLA is likely going to lose out to Michigan here in the next few weeks for Christian McCaffrey's little brother, four-star 2017 QB Dylan McCaffrey. The source said the young quarterback really liked UCLA and really thought he could beat out Matt Lynch when Rosen left. But Michigan made him a top priority and a visit there a few weeks ago probably sealed the deal.
-Four-star DL Rashard Lawrence named his top two of Ohio State and LSU this week. He visited UCLA in the fall and had the Bruins on his short list forever.
-Three-star OL Toleafoa Auwae said UCLA has reached out since his recent decommitment, but he has no interest in heading back to the Bruins. He had a solid week out at Semper Fi.
