Ellis McCarthy Decommits from Cal: 3 Reasons UCLA Is the Wrong Choice

There's never a dull moment in the recruiting world. Players are either committing to schools and surprising us with their commitments, or they're backing out and moving on to a different school.

In this case, it's one of the top defensive tackles in Ellis McCarthy leaving Cal for UCLA, after he gave his verbal commitment to the Golden Bears.

Cal has one of the top recruiting classes this season, but this was a big loss for their team. McCarthy and his big frame is the perfect type of player that will clog up running lanes with ease and really be the centerpiece for any defensive line. 

Here are a few reasons why his decision to decommit was the wrong one.

Cal Is in Better Position to Win Now

It's always nice to see programs come up, and California is one of those teams.

There are very few teams that I'm more excited to see next season than the Golden Bears.

Cal is a team that has a very impressive recruiting class on both sides of the ball and is returning some key pieces as well.

Particularly on offense with their starting quarterback and their starting running back and wide receiver, who both went over 1,000 yards last year.

With the talent on this team and the talent coming in, this Golden Bears team could compete for the Pac-12 in no time.

Cal Doesn't Have a First-Year Head Coach

Before Jeff Tedford took over the Golden Bears, California fans experienced some very lousy years.

Under Tedford, they've made a bowl game eight of the last 10 seasons.

For UCLA, it may take a while, as they have a first-year head coach in Jim Mora, who in fact has no head coaching experience at the college level.

Sure, he's recruiting well so far, but we see that everywhere, and plenty of those coaches can't get the job done with talented teams.

And the last time I checked, a lot of coaches that leave the NFL for college don't exactly do very well.

I'd much rather be playing for a proven head coach than somebody who didn't even do well in the NFL, either (31-33 coaching record in four years in the NFL).

Tougher Division

McCarthy is leaving the North Division, where he would have played a Stanford team without Andrew Luck and an Oregon Ducks team without LaMichael James.

Washington appears to be a team on the rise, but overall it's a much easier division to win than the South Division, where you have USC, Arizona State and a talented Arizona team. 

The Pac-12 isn't exactly the toughest conference out there, but it appears that the tougher division is shifting to where McCarthy is heading.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]