The USC-UCLA rivalry is a big deal, but what role does it play in recruiting?

Jaelan Phillips, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound, all-star defensive lineman from Redlands East Valley, knows all about the USC-UCLA football experience.

His father went to UCLA, so he has attended the rivalry game for years, whether at the Coliseum or at the Rose Bowl.

“I don’t look at USC-UCLA from a recruiting standpoint,” he said. “I look at it from a fan point of view.”

Committed to UCLA, he believes the game’s outcome is more about having bragging rights than convincing someone to make a college choice.

Ditto for former USC linebacker Su’a Cravens, now with the Washington Redskins. He was recruited by both schools out of Vista Murrieta. But Cravens knew where he was going.

“I was always going to USC,” he said in a tweet. “UCLA was never an option and I’d cry like a baby whenever USC lost to those clowns.”

Yes, the USC-UCLA rivalry is a big deal. The schools go after many of the same Southern California recruits and use whatever selling pitches they can think of, even if it’s the same idea.

Former UCLA recruiting coordinator Randy Taylor remembers UCLA entertaining a group of recruits at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard when Ed Orgeron, then a USC assistant, walked in with his own set of recruits. Every coach there went on alert to make sure there was no mingling of recruits.

USC opened its $70-million John McKay Center in 2012, which has locker rooms, meeting areas and coaches offices. UCLA is countering with its $65-million Wasserman Football Center set to open next year.

Phillips has witnessed firsthand the length recruiters will go to in trying to impress a prospect. He was playing in a game against Perris Citrus Valley two weeks ago when a helicopter carrying Bruins Coach Jim Mora and defensive line coach Angus McClure flew over the stadium several times.

“It was definitely pretty cool to see Coach Mora and Coach McClure fly in the helicopter and to see the measure they went to to show support for me,” Phillips said.

Mora touched down four times around Southern California via the helicopter. It’s something former UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel did in 2008. USC coaches have used private jets and helicopters to see recruits in years past.

“I’m not going to lie, jumping in the helicopter, I was saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this, this just isn’t me,’” Mora said, “but the players that you went and saw, they thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”

Former UCLA defensive back Dietrich Riley was a “silent” USC commit after being offered a scholarship going into his sophomore year at La Canada St. Francis in 2007. He saw USC defeat UCLA in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

But when it came time to actually sign, he chose UCLA after Pete Carroll left USC for the NFL.

“At that time, USC dominated the rivalry,” Riley said. “I wanted to become part of change and break the streak and be something special.”

Families can be torn. USC assistant Kenechi Udeze was raised by parents who attended UCLA. He ended up signing with USC out of Los Angeles Verbum Dei after Orgeron saw him at a camp and built up a relationship to overcome his family’s UCLA history.

Ryan Nece, the son of USC All-American Ronnie Lott, went to UCLA after the Trojans failed to show early interest. He became a standout linebacker for the Bruins. Erik Krommenhoek, a tight end from Danville Monte Vista, is committed to USC, but both his parents attended UCLA.

USC has two players, receiver Michael Pittman and defensive lineman Oluwole Betiku, who were previously committed to UCLA. Hunter Echols, a senior still attending Los Angeles Cathedral High, is another former UCLA commit who switched to the Trojans. His situation illustrates that even when players are committed, the rival school won’t stop trying to recruit them.

Stephen Carr, a running back from Fontana Summit, is committed to USC but is still being pursued by the Bruins. USC has a commitment from junior quarterback Matt Corral of Westlake Village Oaks Christian, but he continues to receive weekly mailings from UCLA.

Colorado assistant Gary Bernardi spent six years as an assistant coach at USC and 10 years as an assistant coach at UCLA, so he’s experienced the pressures from both sides.

“Obviously it helps hosting the game because you have more freedom who’s invited and recruits get the full taste of energy and tradition of the home crowd,” he said.

Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst with Scout.com, said of Saturday’s USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl: “It doesn’t usually make or break a decision, but it is something that kids pay attention to. I think it has the most impact on underclassmen and out of state recruits, and if the team hosting the game wins, it’s a nice boost for them because they’ll have recruits in the locker room and they’ll experience the excitement of winning.”

In the end, recruiting in the USC-UCLA competition comes down to leaving a lasting impression and building relationships.

“No disrespect to UCLA,” Betiku said, “but in my own opinion, I think USC is way better and is a better competition and I’m trying to be the best at what I do, and I feel going against guys like Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler every day at practice, and having guys like-minded like me trying to be great, was going to make me a better player regardless if I started as a freshman or get playing time.”

Los Angeles Times staff writers Ben Bolch and Lindsey Thiry contributed to this article.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Follow Eric Sondheimer on Twitter @latsondheimer