Re-Evaluating UCLA's Recruiting Class After the 2015 Opening

The 2015 Opening was not kind to Jim Mora and the UCLA Bruins. 

Multiple players made commitments at the event. None of the prospects ended up choosing the Bruins. UCLA even lost a commitment in the following days from a star performer at the showcase. 

At this point, there's a tangible lack of momentum when it comes to the current class. There are some very good players committed within the class, but the summer lull—which has been a point of contention in regard to this staff—has yet again come back to bite UCLA's recruiting efforts. 

This piece will look at the players who opted for other schools and how that affects things going forward. 

It Was a Tough Week in Eugene 

At the beginning of the event, UCLA had two commitments (Krys Barnes and Jordan Parker) participating. By the following Wednesday, Barnes was the only Bruin in attendance. 

Per Greg Biggins of Scout.com, Parker decided to decommit from UCLA on Wednesday afternoon. It's truly a massive loss on a number of fronts. 

For one, Parker is considered one of the best corners in the entire state. At The Opening, he tested exceptionally well—registering a 36-inch vertical leap and a 4.49 time in the 40-yard dash. Depth at corner is shaky, so Parker would've had the chance to come in right away and compete for playing time. 

To make matters worse, he'll likely end up at another Pac-12 school with good friend and fellow prospect Shurod Thompson (whether it's Southern Cal, Oregon or even Oklahoma). 

Three prospects announcing at The Opening—Lamar Winston, Trevon Sidney and Camilo Eifler—all opted for other schools. 

Winston and Eifler chose Oregon and Washington, respectively. Sidney announced (unsurprisingly) for crosstown rival Southern Cal. 

Eifler and Winston are losses because each is the type of mobile, athletic outside 'backer UCLA has been targeting. With middle linebackers Barnes and Lokeni Toailoa committed, the Bruins are in need of a player with the capabilities of covering in space. Thus far, they've been unable to garner a pledge from such a player. 

Lastly, elite prospects Caleb Kelly and Michael Eletise both dropped UCLA from consideration. 

Kelly's decision is a bit curious. It was thought UCLA was right in the thick of things for his services. In terms of Eletise, the three-month absence of Adrian Klemm surely didn't help matters much in regard to his recruitment. 

What Does This Mean Going Forward? 

In terms of the decisions made by the prospects above, UCLA will have to pivot to other players. 

At corner, Jack Jones appears far and away to be the top target. With Parker not in the fold, expect the Bruins to ramp up the pressure even further on the Long Beach Poly product. It wouldn't be a shock to see this turn into a UCLA-Southern Cal battle when it's all said and done. 

Other potential options at corner include Chase Lucas and Damar Hamlin. 

The top outside linebacker prospect UCLA is pining for is Mique Juarez. Although Juarez is committed to Southern Cal, he's been a frequent visitor at UCLA practices this spring. Don't be surprised if he eventually flips across town. Regardless, this one expects to go down to the wire.

Juarez could be the closest thing to Myles Jack in terms of talent and style of play. 

UCLA has yet to get a commitment along the offensive line. This isn't really too much of a surprise considering Klemm's unavailability during the evaluation period. 

As he's done in the past, he'll likely go national for prospects. Klemm will have to make up some ground, but if anyone's able to do that, it's him. 

Henry Hattis, Willie Allen, Mike Alves, Terrance Davis, JohnCarlo Valentin and Alex Akingbulu are just a few of the prospects Klemm will likely target. 

Keeping Things in Perspective

It's still very early. As we've seen, recruiting isn't a spectator sport in any stretch of the imagination. Things can literally change on an hourly basis. 

Should UCLA win nine to 10 games for a fourth straight year, the rewards will likely be very good. With Southern Cal recruiting at an exceptionally high level, UCLA will have to stem the tide a bit and get some momentum back in Westwood. 

When looking at the landscape of recruiting, the Bruins are still doing very well for prospects such as Juarez, Jones, Hattis, Steffon McKnight, Boss Tagaloa and Oluwole Betiku, among others. 

This wasn't a positive last week for UCLA. However, there's still ample time to turn that around.