Teams to Watch After 5-Star DE Oluwole Betiku Decommits from UCLA
Less than 12 hours after picking up a pivotal Pac-12 victory over the California Golden Bears, the UCLA Bruins suffered a substantial in-state recruiting loss.
Oluwole Betiku, a 5-star Los Angeles County defensive end rated No. 1 overall among California high school seniors in composite rankings, announced his decommitment Friday morning.
"I have decided to open up my recruiting," he tweeted. "It is in my best interest to take my time with the recruiting process and weigh my options carefully, it's a lifetime decision and I pray God guides me to make the best decision."
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The 6'3 ½", 240-pound Junipero Serra High School standout initially pledged to UCLA in August. Despite immigrating to America just two years ago, Betiku quickly rose to prominence as a premier playmaker with the Southern California powerhouse.
He's secured 103 tackles—42 for loss—and 21 sacks through 19 career varsity games since arriving from Nigeria in 2013, per MaxPreps. Those totals include 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks through eight contests this season.
“I feel like nothing is stopping me from being the No. 1 player,” Betiku told Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani earlier this year. “I’m strong, I’m fast. I’m just not versatile. Even though last year was my first year playing, I’m still hard on myself. Those guys shouldn’t be better than me out there.”
He may not sit atop national rankings just yet—though he's within striking distance at 11th overall—but Betiku is considered the top weak-side defensive end prospect in the 2016 cycle. His decision deals the Bruins' latest recruiting efforts quite a blow.
Head coach Jim Mora must move forward without a prospect who presents immediate-impact promise at a key position. Betiku, still very much in the early stages of his physical and fundamental development as a pass rusher, leaves UCLA with 18 commitments in a 2016 recruiting class that dropped from 12th to 16th in national composite rankings following his departure.
Several alternative suitors already emerged during the first half of this season, presenting an array of possible landing spots. The coveted defender visited a pair of programs earlier this month and plans to explore more campuses in coming weeks.
The Florida State Seminoles and Texas A&M Aggies welcomed him to town for recent matchups, providing impressive sales pitches.
Betiku watched the Seminoles remain unbeaten Oct. 10 against the Miami Hurricanes and left Tallahassee feeling charged up about the experience.
"I had a great trip, it was even better than I expected," he told Greg Biggins of Scout.com. "The highlight of the visit for me had to be the game day atmosphere. The fan support is incredible and I loved all the chants and watching them do the tomahawk chop."
Betiku plans to watch Florida State again in November when the team travels to Gainesville for its annual matchup with the Florida Gators. Florida is set to host Betiku for an official visit that weekend, creating the possibility for two legitimate long-distance contenders in the Sunshine State.
SEC quarterbacks should hope he doesn't ultimately sign with Texas A&M, where superstar sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett already wreaks havoc. The top-ranked defensive end recruit in 2014 has totaled 19.5 sacks in his young career and projects as a potential top-tier NFL draft pick two years from now, though he would share the line with Betiku in College Station for at least one season.
Aggies defensive assistant Terry Price has played a important role in this recruitment process.
"He's a great DL coach but more than that, he's a great guy," Betiku told Biggins. "Everyone I talked with said Coach Price is the man there and he'll take care of you and I definitely feel like he could get the most out of me and help get me to the NFL."
LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who previously scouted the Los Angeles area for the USC Trojans, is another recruiter who could make inroads. LSU is lining up quite a 2016 defensive haul and may emerge as a dark-horse contender for Betiku's signature.
Notre Dame is another program to monitor as things progress. The Fighting Irish expect to host him Nov. 14 when the Wake Forest Demon Deacons visit, per Biggins, putting head coach Brian Kelly's squad in the mix for yet another elite defensive prospect.
Expect Betiku to finalize his remaining travel schedule in the near future, though UCLA isn't likely to walk away from the situation without a fight.
There's also the possibility of nearby USC making a late push, depending on how things shake out with the Trojans' coaching situation. It's important to note Junipero Serra has been an extremely beneficial recruiting pipeline for the program in past cycles.
With one of the nation's most compelling prospects back on the open market, anticipate plenty of intrigue en route to signing day.
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