Damian Alloway to UCLA: Bruins Land 4-Star RB Prospect

Damian Alloway, the No. 3 all-purpose back in the country in 247Sports' composite rankings, announced with Bleacher Report on Jan. 29 that he will attend UCLA this fall. The 5’8.5”, 170-pounder had 11 Division I offers, but narrowed down his final decision to Notre Dame and UCLA. 

UCLA confirmed the announcement on Wednesday:

Alloway showed interest in teams such as California, Oregon and Arizona State in addition to UCLA, but Notre Dame seemed to be the leader as his recruitment wore on. 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions only gave the Bruins a 17 percent chance to land the in-state product, but he obviously liked what he saw in the program after he took his official visit in late January.

Even before that visit, the speedster talked to Brandon Huffman of Scout.com about what impressed him about UCLA:

"

Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin) and Coach Yarbs (Eric Yarber) have been recruiting me the whole time and I have a great relationship with them.  They've been pretty cool and then all my Ground Zero guys, Demetric Felton, Lokeni and Leni Toailoa and Krys Barnes, plus Breland Brandt, they're recruiting me. And Nathan Meadors is too.  I've never been on campus with a tour or able to talk to the academic people, so I'm doing that on my visit and getting the full experience.

"

Alloway said he was impressed with UCLA head coach Jim Mora after meeting him last year—for good reason. After finishing above .500 just five times in 12 seasons prior to Mora's arrival in Los Angeles, the Bruins have combined to go 37-16 the past four years.

The back's playmaking ability will fit in well with the Bruins. As you can see in the highlight video below from MaxPreps, the shifty Alloway has a knack for making defenders miss:

Alloway had hinted that he would announce his decision before the new year but instead waited until now. With his decision finally made, UCLA has a versatile athlete who could make a big impact early in his career.

The Summit High School star caught 55 passes for 1,084 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing 17 times for 163 yards and two more scores his senior year, per Russell Ingold of the Fontana Herald News. Ingold also said he was "terrific at returning kickoffs and punts" and "played well at cornerback on defense." 

In a video posted on Scout.com by Huffman, Alloway said returning kicks is his favorite part of the game. "I mean, that's when you can really show your speed and get into the open field," he said. "To go 100 yards, I mean, that's a 100-yard touchdown and nobody can take that away from you."

He most likely will find himself on offense as a slotback or a receiver but does have potential to play defense as well. Whether he finds himself as a starter right away will certainly depend on how he practices and fits in with the team, but the fact he brings experience at numerous positions should enhance his chances at cracking the lineup.