Nece Is Happy to Break Tradition

It’s hard to imagine: A son of former USC All-American Ronnie Lott, one of the Trojans’ all-time greats, playing for UCLA?

But it’s happening.

And Ryan Nece, a redshirt freshman linebacker from San Bernardino, says it’s OK with his famous father, a Fox Sports studio host and former all-pro safety who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Raiders.

“He was really glad that I chose the school that I chose,” Nece, who uses his mother’s maiden name, says. “Coach [Bob] Toledo had been his coach back at SC [when Toledo was a Trojan assistant in the late ‘70s] and he liked the program we had over here and how we were turning things around. He was really proud that I made my own decision and wasn’t influenced by the USC thing.”

With Ramogi Huma nursing a strained groin, Nece is close to becoming a starter after switching from safety last spring.

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Toledo is looking forward to today’s scrimmage at the Rose Bowl, which is closed to the public, as “one last chance to evaluate a lot of players and get them on film [in a game situation]” before the Sept. 12 opener against Texas. . . . Toledo is expected to name his starters Friday or Saturday.