Neuheisel hits the ground running

The Gulf Stream Jet, arranged by UCLA officials, was on the tarmac early in the morning Monday at Burbank Airport.

Rick Neuheisel sat in the cabin with his family, parents and one sister. As the airplane came to a stop, his father, Dick, said simply, “Welcome home.”

The moment marked the end of Neuheisel’s extended round-trip journey to and from UCLA.

But that moment has passed, and now comes a rougher landing and the home improvements.

Neuheisel, officially introduced as UCLA’s new football coach at an on-campus news conference Monday afternoon, inherits a program that has meandered the last five seasons, neither bottoming out nor reaching the desired peaks. Neuheisel, who previously coached at Colorado and Washington, was glib and engaging, at one point introducing his parents, Dick and Jane, then adding, “I was this close to being named Spot.” Yet, he noted that he was going to, “fight, scratch and claw” to get UCLA “back to prominence on the national scene.”

There is immediate work necessary on that front.

Neuheisel met with assistant coaches Monday, including defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who he is wooing to stay. That was followed by a session with prominent donors to the athletic program. The meat of the work comes this week, as he tries to stabilize recruiting that has teetered since Karl Dorrell was fired on Dec. 3.

“There is a lot on the horizon and a lot of decisions to be made,” said Neuheisel, who flew coast-to-coast after finishing his duties as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator Sunday, getting out just before the ax fell on head coach Brian Billick and his staff.

“I have a sense of calm about this. I’m not sure why . . . I’m crazy?” Neuheisel added. “But I have a sense of calm because I’ve done it before. I’ve been to Colorado and Washington where we had to start new programs.”

Those previous jobs ended in NCAA turmoil. Colorado went on two years’ probation for recruiting violations. Neuheisel was fired at Washington for participating in a NCAA basketball betting pool. He later received a $4.5-million wrongful termination settlement.

But Neuheisel has said he has matured and learned from past mistakes, and was able to use those painful moments to get a laugh with self-deprecating humor. Asked when he will talk to UCLA recruits who have verbally committed, Neuheisel said, “You’ll be impressed that I know these rules,” then launched into a by-the-book outline of his next two weeks.

That came during what was part news conference, part “Tonight Show” monologue, with Neuheisel talking about being a walk-on player at UCLA who finally got his own number when another player quit.

“I was Donny Fisher, No. 20, in the program, but I had my own locker and that was a big step,” he said.

And, “In the last half hour, I have seen 20 faces of people who saw me go from 18 years old with hair down to here to now 47 with no hair. This is going be a very, very good fit for all of us.”

It will be if Neuheisel leads UCLA to the destination he mapped out in sound bites that resonated with the Bruins backers in attendance.

“We won’t rest until we get back in that New Year’s Day game in Pasadena,” Neuheisel said.

And . . .

“I am to get about the task of taking back the city of Los Angeles and getting even with those guys across town.”

To reach those Rose Bowl and USC dreams, he will assemble a staff that may include Walker, who was a finalist for the head coaching job. Besides creating a solid defense, Walker has been a key figure in recruiting. But he is entertaining an offer to go to Washington as defensive coordinator and has received feelers from other universities.

“DeWayne and I have had a couple conversations and I think we’re going to get along great,” Neuheisel said. “I’m optimistic, but I understand DeWayne will have to do what is best for him.”

As for the remainder of the staff, Neuheisel said they are “all very, very good guys. There are some anxious moments in terms of what the future holds.”

Neuheisel said he has names in mind for assistants, but “it is important to have a chance to talk with them before making their names public.” He has already stated his desire to talk with Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

“The idea was, UCLA deserves the best. If there is somebody out there to help us become the best, we want to take advantage of that,” Neuheisel said. “Norm is in that category.”

Neuheisel will get a little help in hiring assistant coaches. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said that the pool of money allocated for assistants would be raised from $1.625 million to a little more than $1.8 million.

“Dan has said he would do whatever he can to be competitive,” Neuheisel said. “He understands the challenges of living in Los Angeles. He understands the challenges of the real-estate market here.”

Neuheisel will telephone the high school seniors who have committed to UCLA and the hope is that all will visit UCLA over the weekend, he said, “so I can meet everybody and share my vision what this is going be all about.”

chris.foster@latimes.com