Speed Critical Factor in Recruiting for Bruins

Trying to recruit football players without a coach is like trying to hire political campaign workers without a candidate. It’s difficult to get followers without a leader.

In college football, this is the time for recruiting, not the time to be without a head coach.

That’s why Terry Donahue agreed to move up to Monday his decision to give up the head football job at UCLA. That’s why Bruin Athletic Director Peter Dalis has set a tentative deadline of New Year’s Day for finding a new head coach.

And that’s why Colorado’s Rick Neuheisel on Tuesday speedily turned down Dalis’ offer of Donahue’s job.

All three had recruiting on their minds.

There is a window of about two months, beginning with the end of the regular season, when top high school prospects visit campuses and finalize their college selections.

Donahue, determined to leave the program well-stocked, continued his regular recruiting routine nearly up to the moment he left, telling recruits he wasn’t sure he was going to stay, selling instead the virtues of the program.

“I don’t think this has had or does have an effect on recruiting,” said Donahue before resigning. “People come to UCLA because they like UCLA.”

On Saturday, 48 hours before holding his final news conference, Donahue met with four players who had come to Westwood on recruiting visits, including two considered among the top prospects at their positions in the country: LaCorey Collins, a 6-4, 210-pound receiver from Oakland Skyline High, and Sean Jarne, a 6-4, 245-pound defensive tackle from Anaheim’s Esperanza High. Collins is also interested in USC and Colorado. Jarne is also considering Colorado, Notre Dame and Oregon.

Although the final decision on a college doesn’t have to be made until February, one player, who asked not to be identified, said he has crossed UCLA off his list--at least for now--because of the uncertainty over the head job.

But if Dalis can meet his deadline and hire a coach by early January, any damage done by Donahue’s departure might be minimal. The Bruins’ big recruiting push doesn’t start until the first weekend of next month.

And the disappointment over Donahue’s departure might be made up, to some degree, by the excitement over the arrival of a new coach, especially if that coach is popular with potential recruits.

Thinking along those lines, Dalis, according to sources within the athletic department, would like to find someone with Southern California ties. That was a strong point in Neuheisel’s favor.

“This kind of lets all the air out of the balloon,” said UCLA assistant coach Norm Anderson after Donahue’s announcement. “It kind of flattened us all. But over the long haul, I don’t imagine things are going to change that much. Terry Donahue wasn’t UCLA football. He had an important place in it, a very important place. But we’re still holding on.”

Times staff writer Jeff Fellenzer contributed to this story.