Bruins fall down in football recruiting

Things UCLA didn’t do Wednesday:

Announce it had hired a new defensive coordinator.

Gather a top-10 recruiting class … or top 40.

A tumultuous off-season hit a few more air pockets Wednesday, culminating with a flip-flop-flip by Lakewood offensive tackle Torian White, who committed to UCLA in June, then picked USC’s hat at decision time, only to reverse again and sign with UCLA.

The Bruins’ recruiting class barely broke the top-50 in Rivals.com’s national rankings — checking in at No. 48 — but Coach Rick Neuheisel was still optimistic.

“There were some real needs addressed with this class,” Neuheisel said. “I’m thrilled with the way things worked out.”

Still, UCLA’s rocky day didn’t include former USC assistant Rocky Seto. He remains in the wings, with the decision to hire him as defensive coordinator still not final. Neuheisel said he would answer questions about a new defensive coordinator on “another day,” and focused instead on the 16 players the Bruins were bringing in.

In three seasons at UCLA, Neuheisel had never brought in a recruiting class ranked lower that 14th by Rivals.com. The Bruins were ninth last season. But a 4-8 record in 2010 and a heavy turnover on the coaching staff took a toll on the recruiting trail.

“To me it doesn’t matter,” Neuheisel said. “I saw a statistic the other day of the All-Pac-10 team and where they were as recruits. I think seven of the 22 were unheralded as recruits. I think the proof will be [in the] pudding.”

The class has a centerpiece in Brett Hundley, who ranks second among quarterbacks.

Hundley enrolled early at UCLA to participate in spring practice, and Neuheisel said that, “there would have been a lot of buzz if Brett Hundley would have decided today. I think we traded that buzz for the fact he is in school.”

Kevin McReynolds, a defensive tackle from Washington D.C. St. John’s College; Devin Lucien, a receiver from Encino Crespi; and Jacob Brendel, a center from Plano (Texas) East, are the only other players among the top 50 at their positions.

UCLA came up short on high-end recruits such as St. Augustine (Fla.) Menendez linebacker Tony Steward (Clemson) and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman defensive tackle Jalen Grimble (Miami).

“There is no question that the 4-8 season, the departure of coaches and the uncertainty of position coaches all combined,” Neuheisel said. “You can’t hurry the process along to satisfy individuals, and you try to explain that to kids and for the most part they understand it.”

Seto, a Seattle Seahawks assistant, appears to be the next step in the process. A defensive coordinator has not been hired, a UCLA official said, but Seto has been offered the job according to people close to the situation who are not authorized to speak on the subject.

Neuheisel said he addressed the concerns from recruits about the holes in the coaching staff by “telling them there was certainly a long list of candidates.”

chris.foster@latimes.com

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