UCLA Football National Signing Day 2015: 5 Takeaways from Bruins' Class

UCLA football's 2015 national signing day can be best described as bittersweet. 

Head coach Jim Mora swung for the faces on signing day and hit a home run, signing 5-star running back Soso Jamabo and 4-star tight end Chris Clark, both before 7 a.m. local time. Offensive lineman Josh Wariboko and wide receiver Cordell Broadus, both 4-star recruits, followed. 

The Bruins also received a verbal commitment from 4-star linebacker Roquan Smith, but the bitter of the bittersweet signing day came when Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com first reported defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was leaving UCLA to take a positions job with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. 

Nevertheless, UCLA secured a No. 2-rated recruiting class among Pac-12 programs, and the nation's No. 7 class overall, pending Smith's decision.

Five takeaways from UCLA's dramatic national signing day tell the story of a wild recruiting season for the Bruins.

It's Not over Until the Fax Machine Sings

Credit: 247Sports

Roquan Smith

Smith's hesitation is the latest reminder that no commitment is final until a recruit faxes in his national letter of intent.  

The 4-star linebacker from Montezuma, Georgia, made his announcement live on ESPNU, donning a pair of Adidas-made UCLA gloves and putting his "fours up."

"

Roquan Smith (#29 in #ESPN300, #2 OLB) commits to @UCLAFootball. He was also considering UGA, MICH, TAMU #SigningDay pic.twitter.com/ifRDG7waSg

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) February 4, 2015"

But drama ensued, serving as this year's reminder that the recruiting process is not over until the letter of intent crosses the fax machine. 

"

BREAKING: Despite announcing his commitment to #UCLA, 4* LB Roquan Smith tells me he has not reached final decision, has not signed LOI.

— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) February 4, 2015"

That was followed not long after with the news of Jeff Ulbrich possibly leaving UCLA for the NFL, a report that was disputed for hours thereafter. 

Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Smith's high school coach, Larry Harold, said the 4-star linebacker reopened his recruitment between Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M and UCLA for the next few days. 

Coffee, and High Recruiting Rankings, Are for Closers

Offensive line coach and one of the Bruins' leading recruiters, Adrian Klemm, invoked a classic line from the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross. 

"

#4am #SigningDay 2015... #UCLA #Bruins .... #Coffees4Closers pic.twitter.com/0CkVfigCjJ

— Adrian Klemm (@IAMKLEMM) February 4, 2015"

The recruiting process cannot be evaluated in how a team starts, so much as how it finished. While UCLA was consistently ranked No. 2 or 3 in 247Sports' ranking of Pac-12 teams, it was nowhere near the final No. 7 national rating it hit before lunchtime Wednesday.

In much the same way Smith's reversal of course proves a recruit is no certainty until the all-important documentation is sent, the strength of a recruiting class cannot be judged until the letters of intent start rolling in.  

The UCLA coaching earned its coffee, closing strong with the signings of Soso Jamabo, Chris Clark, Josh Wariboko and Cordell Broadus. 

The Country Becomes Bruins Nation

UCLA's outstanding national signing day was highlighted with commitments from all corners of the country. 

Soso Jamabo is from Plano, Texas. Chris Clark hails from Avon, Connecticut. Josh Wariboko is a native of Oklahoma City. 

Mora's national recruiting strategy netted prospects from seven different states. California is overwhelmingly the most represented with 12 recruits, while UCLA's pipeline into Texas produced a pair of signees.

That national flavor gives UCLA just the right kick to go with its work on the local landscape—and recruiting locally paid dividends in this cycle. Two of the Bruins' three 5-star prospects, quarterback Josh Rosen and defensive end Keisean Lucier-South, are Southern California products. 

Mixing prospects from around the nation with a local foundation has been the strategy for a few years now, and there's no disputing the results. The 2015 signing class is Mora's second in the past three years to finish ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Class of 2015 Shaping Up as a Tight-Knit Unit

Credit: 247Sports

Soso Jamabo

Obviously, UCLA's 2015 recruiting class has yet to practice together, much less take the field on game day. Still, signees basked in one another's mutual glow.

"

UCLA fans, I was sitting next to @Clark8Chris when @Soso_Jamabo1 picked the Bruins. Thrilled. Texted Soso right away. pic.twitter.com/VJ0YMepxYN

— Brett Edgerton (@EditorEdge) February 4, 2015"

Keisean Lucier-South was up early to join in the celebration. Chris Clark and Soso Jamabo had both committed before 7 a.m. 

"

SOSO and CLARK 😎

— Keisean South1⃣6⃣ (@KLSouth16) February 4, 2015"

For a teenager to be awake that early requires genuine dedication to the cause. And dedication to each other is definitely a positive for the Bruins. 

Members of UCLA's 2014 team, at various times, credited their cohesiveness for a midseason turnaround after a two-game losing skid. 

Should the new generation of Bruins come in with such a mindset already established, it makes Jim Mora's job a whole lot easier. 

Excitement but More Expectations

Credit: 247Sports

Offensive lineman Andre James (right)

"Expectations" was the word bandied around UCLA football perhaps more than any other in 2014. With Heisman Trophy candidate Brett Hundley leading a veteran team, the Bruins were trendy favorites in the Pac-12. 

National signing day should indeed be cause for celebration among UCLA faithful, and it only adds to the excitement of kicking off a 2015 season in which the Bruins return 18 starters. 

"

And how has your morning been, Bruins? #SigningDay #UCLASigningDay #4sUP http://t.co/3eVTCsH1bt pic.twitter.com/Lph5vu5Sz9

— UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) February 4, 2015"

And the expectations that lingered over the program throughout the past campaign are not going anywhere. 

While the competition to replace Hundley should temper expectations somewhat compared to a year ago, the flood of talented newcomers mixed with the team's collective experience promises to keep high hopes alive. 

The 2015 signing class members must be ready to meet those expectations head on when their numbers are called—and they will be called. 

"Coach Mora has no problem playing true freshmen. I played as a true freshman," Myles Jack told me at regular season's end. "We played the most freshmen in the country [in 2013]."  

Mora's proven willingness to not just play, but also start first-year players means that any number of the 2015 signing class could see significant action in the fall. 

Recruiting rankings and information courtesy 247Sports.com composite scores. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited.