BREAKING NEWS: Monrovia’s Ellis McCarthy headed to UCLA. The five-star recruit decommits from Cal after D-Line coach Tosh Lupoi leaves for Washington.

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Monrovia High School’s Ellis McCarthy, the two-time Star-News Defensive Player of the Year, has decommited from Cal and is headed to UCLA, according to his father, Ed.

Through a text message to the Star-News on Monday night, Ed McCarthy simply wrote, “Ellis to UCLA.” When asked Monday morning if the departure of Cal defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi might change Ellis’ mind, Ed answered, “Yes.”

McCarthy committed to Cal during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game nearly two weeks ago, as first reported by the Star-News. His final three choices were Cal, USC and Oregon.

McCarthy, a 6-foot-5, 311 pound defensive tackle, is a five-star recruit ranked as the nation’s top defensive tackle by Sports Illustrated. He’s also considered the top recruit in the state. McCarthy led Monrovia to its second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship.

In McCarthy, UCLA gets a defensive tackle often compared to Ndamugkong Suh of the Detroit Lions and a former five-star recruit out of Nebraska.

McCarthy changed his mind after consulting with his family upon news that Lupoi was leaving to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Washington.

According to a source, UCLA defensive backs coach and former Washington recruiter Demetrice Martin was at the McCarthy residence Monday when McCarthy announced he was choosing the Bruins.

Ed went into detail about how UCLA suddenly grew in the picture.

“UCLA was always there,” Ed said. “It was always something that he thought about since he was a little child. We even have a picture of him wearing a UCLA jersey.”

As to why UCLA wasn’t one of McCarthy’s three finalists, Ed said it fell on UCLA’s former staff.

“UCLA didn’t recruit him hard enough,” he said. “They got who they got in (Jim Mora’s hire) and that changed. Jim Mora made all the right moves bringing in top recruits. It just seemed like it was all coming together.”

Ed said Lupoi’s departure wasn’t ultimately what prompted McCarthy to decommit.

“In light of wat happened it was the best decision for Ellis,” Ed said. “It’s not about where people want him to go. It’s where his family felt most comfortable.

“It was too much of a coincidence that you get Demetrice, a top recruiter in Adrian Klemm and you get (running backs coach) Steve Broussard there, too. Broussard is one of my friends. They all end up at UCLA, and it was like the signs were all over the plate. The ultimate sign came at the last minute.”

Rumors swirled about Lupoi leaving for Washington. Lupoi met with the McCarthys on Sunday and, according to Ed, when he was asked about him leaving Lupoi was adament about staying at Cal.

“He sat at our hous and said, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’” Ed said. “There were articles everywhere that he was leaving but he said he wasn’t going anywhere, and then he accepts the job (Monday).

“You can’t fault Tosh for leaving. It’s the nature of the business.”

miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
twitter.com/StarNewsPreps

  • 6power

    Nice footage Miguel.

    I am curious if sequences exists where EM did get blocked. If so, those O lineman deserve some love, because McCarthy is getting most of these guys off balance and footwork negative in a hurry. Obviously if you can’t square up and slide laterally like a rocket on EM, you are in a world of hurt.

    Little wonder he saw plenty of dbl teams at the Army All American game. Damn, I can’t wait to see him as a Bruin.

  • Realist

    This is a very smart move by Ellis. One its close to home and two he will step right in and play. UCLA is in need of a play maker in the teeth of that defense. This gives big Ellis a great chance to shine in an up and coming UCLA football program.

    Go Bruins!

  • New York

    Ellis can be successful no matter what school he chooses. If Ellis works hard enough, he could be drafted in the early rounds even coming out of an Ivy League school, like Marcelus Wiley was.

    UCLA is a bit of a “headscratcher” choice. For one thing, UCLA was not even in McCarthy’s top 3 choices just two weeks ago. They have been an “up and comer” for several years under multiple head coaches. Rick Neuheisel was supposed to be the answer.

    When Akil Harris chose UCLA, the bruins had just completed one of their best seasons during Cade Mcnown’s senior year. They were a national power.

    Seymour chose USC for a reason. Muir has a deeper tradition of sending people to big schools on football scholarships than Monrovia, and Seymour probably has access to more experienced people to get advice because of that. I wonder which former Muir alumni have advised him on his choice. Demetrice Martin coached at Monrovia High School in the late 1990′s and played for Muir. I wonder if he has reached out to Seymour lately and what Seymour’s response has been.

    UCLA very well COULD turn things around soon, but recent history is not on their side. Ellis McCarthy can choose almost any school in the country. The reason this is big news is because UCLA is lucky to get him. Cal was lucky to get him. Programs like USC, Alabama and LSU would be cery grateful to get him, but it would not turn as many heads as a program that is lucky to get him. But hey, UCLA has a very pleasant campus, and it is close to Santa Monica…

    I hope Ellis is choosing a program that is on his level right now. That just does not seem to be the case. As a competitor, someone should always strive to be the best among the best. That’s the only way to get better and reach your potential.

    ***As an Ivy League grad, I fully recognize the value of education. I am not suggesting that this decision should be only about football. I have already written about a private school’s ability to provide funding for individual academic support, such as tutoring.

    ***As a Monrovia grad, I want our guys to find places where they will be the most successful. I feel USC would be that place for Ellis, especially if he decides to stay locally.

    Ellis,
    Thank you for the great memories. I will continue bragging about you no matter where you go to school!

  • Realist

    As of right now, UCLA has put together a fabulous coaching staff. They have multiple guys on that staff that have coached in the NFL. That means they know exactly what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Maybe that has something to do with Ellis’ decision. It seems like UCLA is getting a lot of good players due to the fact they have good coaches. This UCLA team has a lot of potential. They are getting some big time athletes in the SGV. Tairen Owens, Taylor Lagace, and now Ellis. This is going to be an exciting year for the Bruins!

  • jason

    This guy sure knows how to twist and turn his opponents. For his size he’s pretty agile too and is very good at keeping his balance.
    concord