Stewart Mandel’s Piece on the Resurgence of UCLA

My favorite excerpts:

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The tone for predecessor Karl Dorrell’s ill-fated five-year tenure was inadvertently captured early on by Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers, who sardonically referred to the coach in print as “Karl Dullard.” While it seemed like a harsh label for a genuinely upstanding guy, the insinuation could not have described Dorrell’s program more accurately. Even before the past five seasons, dating to the latter days of Bob Toledo’s tenure, the Bruins have possessed almost no identity, very few star players or signature moments (their 2006 upset of second-ranked USC notwithstanding) and an offense so bland it could put babies to sleep.

Enter Neuheisel, the instantly recognizable — and somewhat notorious — new face of UCLA football, rescued by his alma mater after a five-year exile from college coaching following his scandal-plagued ouster at Washington. Neuheisel’s mere presence brings a distinct personality to the program before the Bruins even play their first game under him.

Neuheisel went 3-1 against USC as player; 3-2-1 as an assistant.

“I’ve watched us conquer the thought that USC is insurmountable,” said Neuheisel. “When you’ve lived it, you don’t have to wonder what it’s like, because things aren’t as different as people might think. It’s just about our recruiting getting up to the level of their recruiting. It’s about creating a national reputation again.

Chow’s offense is based in large part on West Coast principles, but the playbook is much simpler.

“That, to me, is the magic of Norm,” said Neuheisel. “Norm has this ability to make things seem simple in the way he puts things in and the way he explains it, but there’s a great deal of sophistication that’s actually displayed in the way he calls it.”

The true impact of the new coaches will likely be felt further down the road — particularly at quarterback. Strong-armed juco transfer Kevin Craft switched his commitment from Hawaii following Chow’s hiring and will likely take over for Cowan either this year or next. Meanwhile, one of the nation’s top recruits for next year, Aaron Murray (Tampa, Fla.), recently visited practice, and another similarly rated quarterback has expressed his interest.

“UCLA carries significant weight in recruiting,” said Neuheisel. “This school has won 100 national championships [in all sports]. Football has been a national player — it’s time to be one again.”

It won’t happen overnight, but at least the Bruins will finally be fun to watch.

Awesome piece. Stewart Mandel is probably the only non-jackass in the MSM. Besides Petros (We’re pretty big Petros Papadakis fans here, btw).

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