UCLA Football: How Bruins Can Stay Ahead with USC Recruiting Heating Up

On the eve of national signing day, UCLA football finds itself in a familiar role behind crosstown rival USC's signing class rating. The Trojans have the highest rated class in the Pac-12 going away and could finish as high as No. 2 nationally should they finish with the expected flourish.

Of course, the true measure of a signing class' strength is not necessarily its star rating in February but its performance in autumn. And for the last three years, USC has been the one looking up at UCLA both in head-to-head matchups and the Pac-12 South standings.

But with the Trojans putting together their best recruiting class since 2007, the pressure is on the Bruins to keep up on signing day in order to maintain their game-day success. 

Season	UCLA: Score/Pac-12 Rank/National Rank	USC: Score/Pac-12 Rank/National Rank
2015	241.51/3/16 (still in progress)	289.7/1/2 (still in progress)
2014	238.37/3/19	260.54/1/10
2013	276.28/1/7	256.45/2/12
2012	243.49/4/19	268.36/2/9
2011	170.85/8/45	286.96/1/3
2010	262.09/2/10	293.2/1/3
2009	255.36/2/10	285.69/1/3
2008	248.32/2/4	285.58/1/14
2007	105.82/12/87	296.75/1/2
2006	141.63/10/51	315.36/1/1
2005	191.2/4/23	282.5/1/1

USC's run of seven consecutive conference championships—and 12 of 13 wins over UCLA—coincided with the Trojans finishing atop the league's recruiting rankings, if not No. 1 in the nation.

Similarly, UCLA's run in the series is, in part, the manifestation of several years of strong recruiting by both current head coach Jim Mora as well as predecessor Rick Neuheisel.

The three consecutive classes Neuheisel signed that finished ranked second in the conference made up the majority of UCLA's roster for each of the first two wins over USC. Those classes also proved that the difference between No. 1 and No. 2 in recruiting can be negligible as long as classes are within a few spots of each other nationally. 

USC was near the top of the nation in that same stretch, sure. But the Bruins were right behind the Trojans.  

As USC reascends to the top of the national recruiting rankings, UCLA need not panic. So long as the Bruins keep pace within a few spots there, the team's success in the fall can continue. 

Doing so requires a multipronged strategy.

USC's two most recent classes have seen the Trojans dominate the local landscape. Head coach Steve Sarkisian locked up Adoree' Jackson from Junipero Serra in Gardena, John "JuJu" Smith from Long Beach Poly in Long Beach and Damien Mama from St. John Bosco in Bellflower the week of signing day a year ago.

This year, the Trojans are well-positioned to again own Southern California recruiting—especially if they land Rasheem Green and John Houston (Junipero Serra) as well as Iman Marshall (Long Beach Poly).  

UCLA has effectively countered with a national approach, the results of which are undeniably positive. 

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Consider quarterback Brett Hundley and running back Paul Perkins came from Phoenix suburbs. Linebacker/running back Myles Jack is from the Seattle area. Up-and-coming linebackers Deon Hollins and Kenny Young hail from Texas and Louisiana, respectively. 

Still, success recruiting Southern California is essential both to the immediate and long-term outlooks of the program. Establishing strong pipelines with the area's premier high school programs is doubly important. 

This year sees Mora and his staff doubling down with seven commitments picked up from the California Interscholastic Federation's Los Angeles, Southern and San Diego Sections thus far. 

More importantly, some of these Southern California prospects come from perennial prep powers like St. John Bosco (quarterback Josh Rosen), Long Beach Poly (cornerback Colin Samuel), Santa Margarita Catholic in Rancho Santa Margarita (defensive end Rick Wade) and Mission Hills in San Marcos (cornerback DeChaun Holiday). 

Credit: 247sports.com

The two highest-rated prospects in this year's class—5-stars Rosen and Keisean Lucier-South—are both from Southern California. 

The Bruins are far from abandoning the burgeoning pipeline into Texas. Late last month, UCLA added a commitment from a 4-star wide receiver Ryan Newsome of Aledo, Texas, and the Bruins are still pursuing 5-star running back Soso Jamabo. 

Regional and national recruiting outposts will prove just as vital to sustaining UCLA's success as its local presence. While doing so every year may not be in the cards, Mora must hit on a recruiting class as strong as the 2013 crop he landed. 

That group included a nice blend of players from the local scene (Mossi Johnson, Scott Quessenberry, Thomas Duarte, Alex Redmond), prospects in the Pac-12 regional footprint (Jack, Eddie Vanderdoes, Kenny Clark) and national recruits (Hollins, Asiantii Woulard, Eldridge Massington). 

Indeed, Mora and his staff are going to have to continue racking up the frequent flyer miles in order to stay ahead in a changing landscape. 

Recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.