Bruins’ Recruiting Class Goes to Heart of the City

There’s no way to tell on signing day whether a recruiting class will be a difference maker for a football program.

But it’s easy to notice a trend-breaking class, which best sums up the players UCLA received national letters of intent from Wednesday.

It is the Bruins’ hope that the class will be remembered for changing the perception that they do not recruit top players in inner-city Los Angeles.

By getting linebacker Reggie Carter, defensive end Chinonso Anyanwu and offensive lineman Aleksey Lanis of Crenshaw High to join the program, UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell delivered that message.

“UCLA has a reputation for not looking at players from the city, but they have a new coaching staff now,” said Carter, who committed to the Bruins in October. “They are showing that they’re willing to recruit more in the city.”

UCLA signed 21 players on Wednesday with 13 committing before Thanksgiving. The marquee player is Thousand Oaks freshman Ben Olson, the No. 1 ranked quarterback in 2002 who spent a redshirt season at Brigham Young.

The Bruins picked up five athletes ranked four stars or better by Scout.com: cornerback Aaron Ware of Oaks Christian, safety Shawn Oatis of Chino, tight end Logan Paulsen of Chaminade Prep, Lanis and Olson, who already is enrolled in school.

The Bruins also picked up defensive lineman Chase Moline of Mission Viejo, quarterback Osaar Rasshan of Pomona Garey, linebacker John Hale of Los Alamitos and offensive lineman Justin Brown of Long Beach Poly.

Other noted recruits include: receiver Gavin Ketchum of Oak Park, safeties Robert Kibble of Houston Westfield and Bret Lockett of Diamond Bar and linebackers Kyle and Korey Miller, nephews of Brian Bosworth, of Plano West in Texas.

“This is an outstanding, well-rounded class,” said Dorrell, who led UCLA to 6-7 and 6-6 records in his first two seasons. “We addressed several needs, including quarterback, tight end, linebacker and the secondary. This class is very athletic and many of our new Bruins have the ability and versatility to play more than one position.

“I feel this class is full of impact players and I would be surprised if several of them didn’t make a significant contribution this season. We played 12 true freshmen this past season and if members of this class are ready to contribute, we will give them the opportunity to do so.”

UCLA is still waiting on the decision by tight end Erik Lorig of Palos Verdes Peninsula Rolling Hills, who reportedly has narrowed his choices to the Bruins, USC, Stanford and California.

The Bruins’ class could have been even better but on Wednesday, UCLA lost out to USC on tight end Charles Brown of Diamond Ranch and to Arizona on linebacker Adrian McCovey of Lakewood.

“The kids that we had committed are the ones that we got,” Dorrell said. “That’s always a good thing.”

Brothers following brothers to college had a strong impact with two top national recruits this year. On Tuesday, two players passed on USC -- Ekom Udofia, a defensive tackle from Scottsdale, Ariz., who picked Stanford where his brother plays, and Jason Gwaltney, a running back from Long Island, N.Y., who chose West Virginia where his half-brother plays.

UCLA may be hoping that trend continues.

Moline’s younger brother, Chane, is a top-rated junior running back for Mission Viejo and he has the Bruins high on his list of schools.

In Chase Moline, UCLA is getting a defensive player not recruited heavily by other major programs because of his lack of size at 6 feet 2 and 250 pounds.

But Moline is the type of player Dorrell says he is committed to recruit.

Moline is the first player from Mission Viejo to sign with the Bruins since Bob Johnson, father of former UCLA quarterback Bret Johnson, became the Diablos’ coach in 1999.

“What I really like about this class is that they all have the mind-set of being a difference maker in this program,” Dorrell said.

“Each one of these guys feel like they can provide that spark that’s needed for us to be as good as we can be. That’s what is so exciting.... They understand the urgency.”

That’s why Rasshan decided on UCLA. After committing to the Bruins in February 2004, Rasshan had second thoughts last fall and began talking to other schools. But in the end, he felt too strongly about UCLA and held true to his commitment even after Olson chose the Bruins.

For Lockett, whose mother graduated from USC, getting a chance to prove people wrong is part of the challenge.

“I feel that we have one of the top classes in the country and we have a lot of guys who can play,” Lockett said. “I watched UCLA’s last two games. You could see how tough they can be based on the way they played USC. Then you see them play Wyoming [in the Las Vegas Bowl] and you just can’t wait to get there and help.”