UCLA Football: Position-by-Position Grades for 2015 Recruiting Class
The 2015 recruiting class will give the UCLA football team a considerable injection of both talent and depth.
Per Scout.com, UCLA signed the No. 9 overall class in the country. Perhaps more impressive, UCLA had a 4.00 star-per-commitment average—ranking second behind only Alabama.
This class helps to add depth at specific positions. It also enhances the skill in certain spots—specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
Of course, Jim Mora and his staff did miss on some prospects. UCLA was also victimized by multiple decommitments on signing day.
This piece will give each position or unit a grade based upon the talent signed, as well as the players UCLA may have missed out on. The readiness of the signees to play right away also factor into the letter grade.
Quarterback: A+
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Both Rivals.com and Scout.com have Josh Rosen as the top-ranked quarterback in the entire country.
The St. John Bosco High School product has every attribute needed to eventually become a standout at the quarterback position. He possesses an incredibly strong arm, immense mental prowess and a maturity not seen in the average high school prospect.
Signing Rosen was a significant development for the Bruins. With Brett Hundley headed to the NFL, a gaping hole exists at the most important position on the field.
Simply put, UCLA did exceptionally well to sign an elite talent at a position of need. Rosen could be the face of the program for the next three or four seasons.
Running Back: A+
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UCLA went into one of the most competitive states from a recruiting standpoint (Texas) and came away with the No. 1 running back in the country, Soso Jamabo.
It was a massive recruiting win for the Bruins, who beat out the likes of Texas, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and others for his services.
Jamabo instantly enhances the ability and athleticism at the running back spot. Dangerous at spots all over the field, his versatility will surely be utilized in his freshman year. His speed and athleticism stand out right away when looking at his tape.
The other running back signing came in the form of Bolu Olorunfunmi. While he might not be as well-rounded as Jamabo is, Olorunfunmi has the potential to be an absolute beast in short-yardage situations. His ability to run behind his pads with a low center of gravity makes him a nice complement to his future teammate.
UCLA did well to sign a potential star at the position in Jamabo as well as a bruising back with good upside in Olorunfunmi.
Offensive Line: A+
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UCLA signed the No. 1 offensive line class in the entire country.
The five-man class includes four 4-star high school products (Tevita Halalilo, Josh Wariboko, Andre James, Fred Ulu-Perry) and a top junior college prospect (Zach Bateman).
Of the five, expect Ulu-Perry and Bateman to play early. Bateman has the ability to play at either of the tackle positions. Depending on whether or not Caleb Benenoch moves inside to guard, Bateman has a real shot at competing for the starting right tackle job.
Ulu-Perry has the versatility to play at both guard and center. He'll battle Scott Quessenberry for the reserve role behind starting center Jake Brendel.
Credit offensive line coach Adrian Klemm for yet again building depth on the offensive line. When he first got to UCLA, the unit was devoid of both talent and playable depth. Since then, he's put together potentially the deepest collection of talent at the position in Westwood in over a decade.
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Tight End: A+
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UCLA also signed the No. 1 tight end in the country in Chris Clark.
A common theme within this recruiting class includes UCLA traversing all across the country in search of talent. The Bruins went to Connecticut in order to sign Clark.
The addition of the elite tight end prospect allows UCLA to be more flexible in both the run and pass game. At 6'6" and nearly 250 pounds, Clark is the only true tight end on the roster. He'll be a big factor blocking across the line on run plays. This theoretically will allow UCLA to not rely upon defensive players in obvious blocking situations.
Additionally, he could be a monster on jump balls in the red zone, as well as on intermediate routes down the field. His combination of size and coordination makes him a very attractive mismatch for the eventual starting quarterback to exploit.
Clark is the type of player UCLA hasn't had on its roster since Joe Fauria. Expect Clark and Josh Rosen to link up with each other a great deal during their careers at UCLA.
Wide Receiver: C
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The wide receiver position was the one spot in which the offense did not enjoy an upgrade. Truthfully, the staff dropped the ball here (pun intended).
Matters were not helped with the loss of Ryan Newsome to Texas. The speedy receiver would've been the perfect addition as a quick, elusive slot type. Unfortunately for UCLA, hometown pressure had Newsome sign with Texas. Other targets such as Christian Kirk, Carlos Strickland, Ray-Ray McCloud and Dominic Davis also went elsewhere.
Cordell Broadus is the lone true receiver signee in the class. While Broadus has good size and a set of soft hands, he doesn't have much in the way of explosiveness. He's essentially your prototypical possession receiver—something UCLA has in droves. Broadus likely will redshirt during his freshman season.
The intriguing option is Stephen Johnson III. Initially slated to come in as a corner, he could very well find himself starting off as a receiver.
Johnson instantly enters the team as perhaps the fastest player on the roster—regardless of position. His legitimate sub-4.4 speed could be a very good weapon from not only the slot receiver position, but also in the return game.
Defensive Line: D
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For as well as UCLA did with this class, the defensive line represents the biggest area of concern.
To be fair, Rick Wade is a good prospect. The Santa Margarita Catholic High School product has terrific length and athleticism, and he figures to grow into a prototype defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. With that said, he's potentially a couple of years away from contributing.
When looking at the roster, depth at defensive tackle is problematic. There's a real chance both Kenny Clark and Eddie Vanderdoes leave for the NFL after this upcoming season, which would rob UCLA of its two best defensive linemen.
Striking out with 2015 prospects Benning Potoae and Joseph Wicker could come back to haunt the Bruins. It makes defensive line recruiting in 2016 that much more significant.
Linebacker: B+
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It was a mixed bag when it came to recruiting the linebacker position.
On a positive note, UCLA signed two elite talents in 5-star Keisean Lucier-South and 4-star Josh Woods. Lucier-South is a pass-rushing extraordinaire, and he could ultimately operate as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker (similar to former Bruin Anthony Barr).
Woods' best football is ahead of him. He's very young for his grade (just turned 17) and sat out his entire junior year due to a transfer rule. The Upland High School product is versatile because he can play both inside and outside. Had he played his junior year, Woods likely would have been in the running to become a 5-star prospect in his own right.
On the other side of the coin, distance—and a bizarre situation with former defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich—had Roquan Smith pivot from UCLA and instead sign with Georgia. Another elite talent in Osa Masina opted for Southern Cal over the Bruins.
Lastly, middle linebacker Victor Alexander—a longtime commitment to UCLA—flipped to Georgia Tech on signing day.
Perhaps recruiting a local player with impressive ability—such as Duke signee Ben Humphreys—would've been the smarter thing to do. It would've protected UCLA from the scenario it faced on signing day, with multiple interested parties opting to stay closer to home.
Defensive Back: A-
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The haul at defensive back can be summed up in two words: versatility and length.
All five of the signees in the secondary have the ability to play as both corners and safeties. It offers Jim Mora and defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin considerable positional flexibility going forward.
Perhaps the two most intriguing options include DeChaun Holiday and Colin Samuel. Both are extremely long for the corner position—comparing favorably (from a size standpoint) to Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman, respectively.
Preventing this group from landing an "A" is the lack of a true shutdown corner ready to play an extensive role right away as a true freshman. This recruit in question would be Southern Cal signee Iman "Biggie" Marshall.
Star rankings come courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.
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