UCLA Bulks Up Its Defense, Lands Cerritos College’s McNeal

UCLA’s football team might have improved its chances of winning the battle in the trenches with the signing of Jeff McNeal, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end/pass rush specialist from Cerritos College.

Playing in the highly competitive Pac-10 doesn’t figure to intimidate McNeal. After all, when you’ve fought for your life in the Persian Gulf, how tough can it be to handle the noise at Husky Stadium? Like USC linebacker Errick Herrin, another community college transfer, McNeal, 21, is a former Marine and veteran of Desert Storm.

While finishing his stint at Camp Pendleton two years ago, McNeal called Cerritos Coach Frank Mazzotta and expressed his interest in playing football, although McNeal hadn’t even played high school football in his native Florida.

“We get a lot of calls like that from guys who want to play,” Mazzotta said, “and nothing usually comes of them. But this guy turned out to be everything he said he was.”

Intrigued after meeting him in person, Mazzotta wrote a letter to help facilitate McNeal’s discharge from the Marines. Strong and unusually fast for his size (about 4.75 seconds over 40 yards), McNeal even played some linebacker as a freshman before settling in as a pass rusher.

“He can really run well,” Mazzotta said. “He’s very physical, mature and he has all the intangibles--character, toughness, good student.”

Still, one Pac-10 head coach said McNeal was only the third-best defensive lineman on his own team. Mazzotta didn’t disagree, but added that was because of something he hadn’t seen in his 17 years at Cerritos: Four of his defensive linemen signed with Division I schools. Besides McNeal, others who received scholarships were ends Troy Antee (6-5, 270; Oregon State) and Eric Douglas (6-5, 275; Missouri), and tackle Matt Nichols (6-5, 275; Oregon).

“The thing about Jeff is that his best years are definitely ahead of him, and that’s what I told (UCLA Coach) Terry Donahue,” Mazzotta said.

Notes

As expected, Esperanza cornerback Kareem Clark (5-9, 170) orally committed to attend Arizona State. He also visited Fresno State, Nevada Las Vegas and San Diego State. The signing date for high school football players is Feb. 1.

Jeff McNeal is the fourth community college recruit to sign with UCLA, joining 11 high school prospects in a recruiting class expected to reach 18 or 20. Latest to commit to the Bruins, after a weekend campus visit, was offensive lineman Matt Phelan (6-4, 300) of Lancaster Paraclete. Phelan, who made the Cal-Hi Sports all-state team for small schools, chose UCLA over California. Others who visited UCLA over the weekend were safety Chris McAlister (6-1, 180) of Pasadena High, linebacker/strong safety Marvin Powell III (6-2, 195) of Van Nuys Birmingham, offensive lineman Kane Cullum (6-4, 260) of Encino Crespi, defensive end Travor Turner (6-5, 205) of Westchester High and linebacker Mark Cusano (6-3, 220) of The Colony, Tex.

The explosive McAlister, son of former UCLA and NFL running back James McAlister, has not yet qualified academically. He is also considering Washington State. Powell also comes from a football family--his father is former USC All-American tackle Marvin Powell. He plans to commit to the Trojans this week. Cusano actually committed to USC before the Cotton Bowl, but has since visited Washington, Brigham Young and UCLA. Cullum committed to Colorado on an earlier visit, but decided to visit UCLA anyway. Turner, a pass rusher who had 18 1/2 sacks last season, is a lifelong UCLA fan who had committed to Oregon before the Bruins finally offered a scholarship last week. His mother works at UCLA.

Add UCLA: Other recent commitments for the Bruins include defensive lineman Pete Holland (6-3, 245) of Cupertino, who picked UCLA over Stanford in a mild surprise; Moreno Valley Canyon Springs wide receiver prospect Ryan Rocques (5-11, 180); quarterback Cade McNown (6-2, 205) of West Linn, Ore.; fullback Craig Walendy (6-1, 220) of Westlake Village Westlake, who also considered Colorado and Cal, and linebacker/fullback Cheyane Caldwell (6-2, 235) of Bloomington. Rocques, the brother of UCLA sophomore cornerback Aaron Rocques, has speed and athletic ability comparable to any senior in Southern California. McNown, who moved to Oregon last year from Hollister, Calif., became a priority for UCLA after Brock Huard (6-5, 215) of Puyallup, Wash., decided to follow his older brother Damon to Washington. He is a quarterback in Huard’s mold--big, physical and left-handed. Walendy’s decision might help the Bruins in their tug-of-war with USC for another Westlake High standout, wide receiver Billy Miller (6-4, 210), who caught 68 passes for 1,054 yards last season and is considered the top prospect at his position on the West Coast.

Like UCLA, USC also had a small group of recruits on campus last weekend, including Miller; All-American linebacker Vernon Crawford (6-3, 245) of City College of San Francisco, wide receiver Ramsey Jay (6-2, 175) of Ventura and running back/safety Petros Papadakis (6-1, 190) of Palos Verdes Peninsula. Crawford, who is from Texas, is scheduled to visit Florida State this weekend; he is also considering Texas A&M;, Baylor and Arizona. Papadakis, who has good speed, is the brother of Trojan sophomore fullback/linebacker Taso Papadakis, and the son of former USC linebacker John Papadakis.

Add USC: The Trojans continue to put together a strong recruiting class. Recent USC commitments include quarterback John Fox (6-3, 185) of Corona Centennial; Sonora offensive lineman Jason Grain (6-5, 270), who had committed to Arizona State before changing his mind after visiting USC; standout linebacker Lawrence Larry (6-3, 230) of Littlerock, and highly regarded defensive back Rashard Cook (6-0, 180) of San Diego Morse. In addition, the Trojans might end up signing quarterback/”athlete” Mike Bastianelli (6-1, 180) of Concord De La Salle. Bastianelli backed out of a recent commitment to Oklahoma, and is now deciding between USC and Oregon.

Cal’s recruiting class was dealt a big blow last week when the top quarterback prospect in Northern California, Tom Brady (6-4, 200) of San Mateo Serra, chose Michigan over the Bears. Cal coaches had hoped Brady would eventually succeed former Trabuco Hills standout Pat Barnes, who will be a junior next season.

Add Cal: Heading into last weekend, the Bears had received 12 commitments, many from players who were not heavily recruited by top Pac-10 schools. Among those who recently committed: linebackers Matt Beck (6-3, 210) of Grass Valley, Calif., Sekou Saniyika (6-3, 215) of Monterey and Nathan Geldermann (6-2, 225) of Concord De La Salle; fullback Josh Delprado (6-2, 210) of Antioch, Calif.; defensive lineman John Dyer (6-2, 245) of Santa Fe Springs St. Paul; offensive lineman Jerry DeLoach (6-4, 250) of Sacramento, and defensive backs Derrick Gardner (5-10, 180) of Oakland Skyline, Deltha O’Neal (5-11, 175) of Milpitas, Calif., and Don Lonon (6-0, 175) of Long Beach Poly. Best of the future Bears could be Gardner, who was heavily recruited. Cal is also a finalist for top running back/cornerback prospect Steve Wofford (5-11, 175), who led the state in rushing with 2,761 yards last season at Bakersfield High. Wofford concluded a brilliant career as the second-leading rusher in California history (7,100 yards), and the state’s all-time touchdown leader with 107, breaking the mark held by former Cal star Russell White (94). Wofford was at Washington last weekend, after visiting Cal a week earlier. He still has trips planned to Southern (La.), which is near relatives, and Arizona.

Stanford, with new Coach Tyrone Willingham, has fared better than its chief rival. The Cardinal has 15 commitments, plus one from fullback Jon Ritchie (6-2, 235), a transfer from Michigan. Recent Stanford commitments include: Mater Dei offensive lineman Matt Motherway (6-4, 255), quarterbacks Chad Hutchinson (6-5, 220) of Del Mar Torrey Pines and Tim Smith (6-4, 210) of Coalinga, Calif., tight ends Tony Vella (6-4, 245) of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd and Joey Fairchild (6-5, 250) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., cornerback Chris Johnson (5-11, 155) of Seattle, linebacker Mark Stockbauer (6-3, 215) of Baton Rouge, La., offensive linemen Jeff Cronshagen (6-7, 280) of Livermore, Calif., and Eli Burriss (6-6, 250) of Marble Falls, Tex., and defensive lineman Desmond Cook (6-3, 260) of Sunrise, Fla. It’s a typical Stanford recruiting class; nine states are represented among the 16 players.