Carson’s Littleton in UCLA-Bound Crowd

Carson High linebacker Nkosi Littleton realizes the competition for playing time will be tough at UCLA, from strangers as well as friends.

As of Tuesday, the Bruins had received verbal commitments from seven highly regarded linebackers, including the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Littleton.

Littleton is not surprised by the number of linebackers UCLA is expected to sign. But he was caught off guard when Dominguez High’s Bruce Walker, regarded as the best linebacker on the West Coast, announced that he is headed to Westwood.

Littleton and Walker have been good friends since the eighth grade.

“I was surprised. I didn’t know he was going there,” Littleton said. “He was keeping it a secret. He called me when he committed, and I laughed. But I’m happy to know somebody who’s going there.”

Actually, Littleton doesn’t consider the 6-4, 240-pound Walker as potential competition. Littleton is projected to play inside linebacker, while Walker is an outside linebacker.

The two blue-chip recruits became friends in eighth grade when they played together on a traveling basketball team at Victoria Park in Carson. They went on to play football and basketball at Verbum Dei High, but they split up when Walker transferred to Lynwood High midway through ninth grade.

Walker transferred again, to Dominguez High in Compton, and Littleton left Verbum Dei for Carson after his sophomore year.

Allen Wallace, editor and publisher of Super Prep magazine, doesn’t think Walker or Littleton will have trouble fitting in at UCLA. He rates Littleton as the second-best inside linebacker prospect on the West Coast.

“He’s your plug,” Wallace said. “He’s not an outside person, but for a middle guy he’s what you want. He’s tough and he comes from a great program. He’s the best prospect from a team that is one of the top 10 (prep) programs in the country.”

Littleton led Carson with 145 tackles (66 unassisted) last season, helping the Colts to a 10-2 record, the Pacific League championship and runner-up for the L.A. City Section 4-A title.

Walker, who combines extraordinary speed (4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and strength (375-pound bench press), was considered by some recruiters as the best two-way football player in the nation last season. Aside from linebacker, he played fullback for Dominguez and rushed for 1,363 yards.

Other linebackers who have verbally committed to UCLA are Randy Cole (6-3, 220) of Santa Monica College, Andrew McClave (6-5, 225) of Jesuit in Portland, Rod Smalley (6-3, 225) of Santa Ynez, Brian Tighe (6-3, 220) of Pflugerville, Tex., and London Woodfin (6-3, 235) of Sylmar.