Mique Juarez to UCLA: Bruins Land 5-Star LB Prospect

UCLA landed one of the most dynamic defensive stars in the class of 2016 after securing the commitment of Mique Juarez on Wednesday. 

Juarez confirmed he'll be heading to Westwood next season. Brad Graverson of the Daily Breeze provided the video of Juarez's decision: 

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Juarez is the best outside linebacker and 11th-best player overall in the country. He's also top of the class in the state of California.

Earlier in the recruiting process, Juarez committed to USC and looked set to carry on the tradition of tremendous Trojan linebackers. But during the controversy surrounding Steve Sarkisian and his alcohol issues, Juarez decided against signing a letter of intent with the school.

"At this time my family and I feel that it is in my best interest to de-commit from USC and open up my recruitment process," he posted in an Oct. 13 tweet. "I'd like to thank the coaching staff for everything they've done and hope for the best for them."

Losing Juarez was a significant blow for the Trojans, considering how good he could be in a few years.

The Torrance, California, native looks like a linebacker in a defensive back's body. Watching him intercept this pass from Georgia-bound Jacob Eason illustrates his instincts in pass coverage and speed down the sideline, per Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN.com:

Derrick Deane of the Daily Breeze shared one of Juarez's highlights from a 49-0 win over Nordhoff High School on Sept. 18, and Juarez is a man among boys:

The sting of losing Juarez will be even more painful for USC since he's headed across town to UCLA.

It would be lazy to draw parallels between Juarez and former Bruins linebacker Myles Jack, especially considering he wasn't the same level of recruit when he arrived at the school. Jack was the No. 10 inside linebacker in 247Sports' composite rankings of the 2013 recruiting class.

With that said, his arrival comes at the perfect time for UCLA, with Jack going to the NFL. Juarez will provide an immediate impact on the Bruins defense, and over time, he'll undoubtedly help turn around a unit that gave up 393.5 yards a game (62nd in FBS).

The UCLA offense looks to be in good hands with true freshman Josh Rosen. Rosen looked a little shaky at times under center in 2015, but that's to be expected with such a young quarterback.

A strong defense might be the difference between winning nine games and going to the Alamo Bowl and winning the Pac-12 or contending for a national title.

He is a terror defensively in the open field—the kind of player who always seems to find himself around the ball. You can negate Juarez's impact somewhat by getting him engaged with a blocker. Juarez may be strong, but his technique is a bit lacking, so he can struggle to get himself free.

In addition, Juarez's instincts will sometimes take him out of plays. Like many other defensive playmakers, he'll gamble a bit, which will cause problems for the defense as a whole as his teammates try to compensate.

Those two flaws aside, Juarez is the exact kind of player you envision when you picture an athletic, versatile outside linebacker. He could contribute to the Bruins right away as a true freshman, but expect him to truly blossom with a few more years under his belt at the collegiate level.