UCLA Football Recruiting: Top Out-of-State Prospects

Jim Mora and his staff haven't been shy about heading outside of California in order to lure top talent to UCLA. 

In 2013, the Bruins signed 25 prospects from seven different states. Not only did UCLA sign prospects from Western states such as Hawaii, Arizona and Washington, but it also was able to ink players from as far as Tennessee and Florida. 

In this current recruiting cycle, Mora is yet again hitting the trails hard, going to all depths of the country in order to sign another stellar recruiting class.

Here are some out-of-state prospects that UCLA is heavily pursuing. 

Kyle Allen

Regardless of location, quarterback Kyle Allen from Scottsdale, Ariz., could be UCLA's biggest target in 2014. 

Rated as the top signal-caller in the nation by Scout, Allen has a host of schools charging hard after him. He recently was the recipient of offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama. 

Allen's got a very smooth delivery from the pocket. He's also got great arm strength and superior awareness in the pocket. While not a burner, he's also more than capable of eluding pressure and scrambling for some yardage. 

Allen visited Pasadena for UCLA's Spring Showcase event. Both Noel and Taylor Mazzone have made multiple trips out to Arizona to see Allen.

A potential pitch could include having Allen take over the reigns of the Bruins offense, once current quarterback Brett Hundley departs for the NFL. It also doesn't hurt that like Allen, Hundley is an Arizona native himself. 

Allen will be making his decision sometime in the summer. Should he choose UCLA, he could act as a "pied piper" of sorts with other recruits—especially with the other elite prospects coming from the state of Arizona.

The State of Arizona

Sticking with the theme of prospects from the Valley of the Sun, the state of Arizona has become a hotbed for elite college talent.

UCLA has been very effective recently in recruiting talent from the state. Starting quarterback Brett Hundley hails from Chandler. Tailback Paul Perkins is from Queen Creek, and recent 2013 signees Kenny Lacy, Priest Willis and Jalen Ortiz are all from the greater Phoenix area. 

Aside from Allen, the Bruins are making a push for multiple Arizona natives in 2014. 

At the skill position, both Jalen Brown and Tyler Whiley are huge points of emphasis. Brown is a very smooth athlete with great hands. Whiley has the capability of playing as a wide receiver, or conceivably somewhere in the secondary. 

Up front, Natrell Curtis is being heavily pursued. Like Whiley, he's versatile from the standpoint that he can play either as an offensive guard or as a defensive tackle. 

The Bruins have also offered Desert Mountain wide receiver Mark Andrews, Chaparral tight end Trevor Wood, Hamilton offensive tackle Casey Tucker and Desert Edge defensive end Ismael Murphy-Richardson.

Jermaine Eluemunor

The 6'6", 300-pound behemoth from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., is an interesting story.

Originally from London, offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor moved to the United States with the hopes of playing football on the collegiate level. Due to a lack of technique and relative experience, he had no scholarship offers out of high school.

As Eluemunor began to develop at Lackawanna College, interest from colleges skyrocketed.

In addition to UCLA, Eluemunor has garnered offers from the likes of Alabama, Southern Cal, Florida State, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Arkansas and others. 

Eluemunor combines awesome power with surprising agility. While some polishing does need to take place, he's got all the tools to be a big-time player at the next level. 

UCLA offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has been very aggressive in recruiting Eluemunor. On Twitter, Klemm recently sent Eluemunor this picture. 

Eluemunor will take his first official visit to UCLA on June 6. He's also slated to visit Alabama and Arkansas officially in the near future. 

Demetrius Knox

A one-time commitment to Texas, guard Demetrius Knox from All Saints Episcopal High School in Fort Worth, Texas, has an immense interest in UCLA. 

Knox is extremely powerful in the run game. He plays with great leverage and has the overall athleticism to get to the second level when blocking. He plays with an unabated nastiness, and it's quite clear on film that he finishes blocks with authority. 

Based on his Twitter correspondence with Bruins signees (and fellow Texas natives) Eldridge Massington and Caleb Benenoch, it seems as if Knox will be taking an unofficial visit to Westwood toward the end of May.

Right now, it looks like a UCLA-Ohio State battle at this point. If Klemm can sign Knox, it will be yet another feather in his already impressive cap. 

Kenny Young

Conventional wisdom suggests that UCLA has no shot to land an elite prospect from SEC country—especially if that prospect has offers from LSU and Alabama. 

With linebacker Kenny Young, the Bruins have a legitimate shot at doing just that. 

Young has already taken two unofficial visits out to California. He visited for a Junior Day and also came out for UCLA's Spring Showcase with teammates Mattrell McGraw and Malachi Dupre. 

Young is a physical specimen. The John Curtis Christian High School product hits like a Mack truck and flies to the ball like a burgeoning missile. He's also adept at covering smaller, quicker offensive players in space. 

It could be tough for UCLA to pull Young away from the Southeast. However, he has shown genuine interest in the program. 

Honorable Mentions

Here are some other prospects that the Bruins are recruiting heavily:

• Mattrell McGraw
• Malachi Dupre
• Budda Baker
• Al Harris Jr.
• Solomon Thomas

Recruiting info courtesy of Scout, Rivals and 247Sports.