UCLA Football: Early Grades for 2016 Recruiting Class

The recruiting efforts of the UCLA football team in 2016 are off to a fast start. 

To date, the Bruins have 10 public commitments. That is roughly half of how many they're expected to sign this coming February. Interestingly, eight of the 10 commitments hail from within the state of California.

This piece will take a look at the committed prospects, as well as targets and some misses early in the current recruiting cycle.

Grade For Committed Prospects: A-

It's a very good start for Jim Mora and his staff—especially on the defensive side of the ball. 

UCLA has shored up the middle of its future defense for years to come with the commitments of middle linebackers Lokeni Toailoa and Krys Barnes. 

Both 4-star prospects, Toailoa and Barnes rank as the No. 1 and No. 2 middle linebackers in the entire western region respectively. Landing both prospects was significant—especially considering each had offers from Southern California and other big programs across the country.

Another elite defensive player currently committed is 5-star defensive end/linebacker prospect Breland Brandt. The Los Angeles native is still raw from a technique standpoint. However, he's extremely gifted athletically.

Also a basketball player, he has the mobility to function as both a defensive end and as an outside linebacker rushing the passer. It was key for UCLA to land Brandt. Like Toailoa and Barnes, he had an offer from Southern Cal, among other schools. He is considered to have one of the highest upsides of any defensive-line prospect in the country.

The Bruins have also landed three very versatile 4-star prospects in Darian Owens, Michael Pittman and Jordan Parker. 

Parker is one of the most talented corner prospects in the state. With UCLA needing an influx of depth and talent at the position, his commitment was huge. Owens is slated to come in as a wide receiver but could play safety in a pinch.

Pittman is arguably the most intriguing of the commitments. At 6'4", he could end up at a multitude of positions—including safety, outside linebacker, defensive end, wide receiver or even at tight end. His physical development down the road will likely determine where he plays in college. Regardless, it's a nice problem for UCLA to have.

Continuing with its strong reputation for special teams, UCLA has landed long snapper Johnny Den Bleyker. According to the famed Rubio Long Snapping, Den Bleyker is the top long snapper in the entire country. 

UCLA needed to upgrade its speed and quickness from within its wide receiver corps, and it was able to do so with the commitment of 4-star receiver Demetric Felton. A local prospect from Temecula, Felton can line up all over the field. This sort of versatility enables UCLA to look at him as an inside receiver, an outside receiver and even as a running back. 

The Bruins are doing exceptionally well throughout the state of California with this class. They've effectively put themselves in position to land an extremely talented linebacker group—especially considering there's a very realistic chance Mique Juarez, Caleb Kelly or both could become Bruins. At the very worst, UCLA is in the top three for both prospects.

Above all else, there's real positional versatility within the committed prospects. This has been a real point of emphasis for Mora and his staff when targeting players. 

Minor Disappointments

There have been some minor issues to begin this cycle. 

UCLA lost out on 4-star quarterback Devon Modster, who opted for Arizona. With depth issues at the position, the Bruins had been targeting a signal-caller for this class. 

With Josh Rosen potentially starting as a true freshman, the general thought is that an elite quarterback prospect in the '16 class wouldn't want to sit behind Rosen for multiple years.

UCLA did garner a pledge from 3-star Colorado quarterback Matt Lynch. While not as highly ranked as Modster, Lynch does have some physical tools to work with. Perhaps most importantly, he's a developmental prospect who'll need time behind Rosen to mature physically. 

With the status of Adrian Klemm in limbo, UCLA's offensive-line recruiting efforts have been minimal. Many of the top OL prospects in California have already committed to other programs. The absence of Klemm has firmly put UCLA behind the proverbial eight ball with other offensive-line prospects. It will be fascinating to see when Klemm does return—if he indeed comes back in any capacity at all.

Areas of Need

The defensive line—particularly at defensive tackle—is arguably the biggest need in this class. 

There's a real chance both Kenny Clark and Eddie Vanderdoes will depart for the NFL after this season. Depth behind the starting duo is rather shallow and inexperienced. 

Boss Tagaloa, a 4-star defensive tackle out of De La Salle High School, is the top target for the Bruins. He's the type of prospect with the ability to play right away, which is something UCLA will likely need if it loses either of its starting defensive linemen after this year. 

Defensive end Oluwole Betiku is also a big target for the Bruins. The Serra High School product, originally from Nigeria, has considerable potential. One would be hard-pressed to find a more physically impressive specimen. He's eerily similar to how former UCLA Bruin Owamagbe Odighizuwa looked coming into college.

Betiku's guardian, former NFL player LaVar Arrington, played under current UCLA defensive coordinator Tom Bradley at Penn State. This relationship surely cannot hurt the Bruins' efforts to land the talented defensive end.  

Speaking of Odighizuwa, UCLA's lone defensive-tackle commitment comes courtesy of his younger brother, Osa.

The Portland native is an excellent wrestler, ranking among the best in the country for his age group. While still raw to the position, Osa has all of the tools to eventually become a productive interior lineman. 

As has been mentioned, UCLA needs to address its offensive line. There's not a pressing need for a ton of signees along the offensive front, but it's always important to add depth. The Bruins could look to add a true tackle prospect more than anything. 

Finally, UCLA could stand to upgrade its talent at wide receiver. With a deep receiver class hailing from California in '16, the Bruins will likely attempt to add two, if not three, prospects.

Targets for the Bruins at the position include Damian Alloway, Dymond Lee, Steffon McKnight and Jack Jones. Jones, who is an excellent athlete, could ultimately wind up at corner. 

*All recruiting rankings come courtesy of Scout.com.