From UCLA:

Brandon Willis, a 6-3, 255-pound freshman defensive tackle from Duncan, SC, is now a member of the UCLA football program.

Willis has been admitted to school and has signed a statement of intent to enroll. He will join the team immediately and will redshirt this season due to his transfer from the University of North Carolina. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.

"We are very excited about Brandon joining our program," said UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel. "We thought the world of him a year ago as a high school senior and we feel he will be a tremendous asset to our defensive front."

* UCLA practiced in shells today and primarily focused on the gameplan, with extensive walk-through work.

* Kai Forbath warmed up but did not do much kicking, and he'll be a game-day decision, but Neuheisel said he's bringing all the scholarship kickers, and 72-73 players total.

* There was a skirmish between Taylor Embree and Akeem Ayers that quickly flared up and quickly died, and Neuheisel said it was the first Thursday altercation he's seen in a while.

* Kevin Prince looked the best he's looked in a while, and though he was off on some passes, I think he's definitely good to go.

* Saw a couple of nice catches today, including a great grab by Josh Smith. If the line holds up, expects some impressive down-field gains.

* Pay close attention to the running back rotation, because as of now, I have no idea what to expect. All four guys once again got reps with the first team, though Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin obviously got the lions' share. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

* Also, Brandon Willis was at practice, and I've heard he'll join the team late next week, possibly Wednesday.

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Hey guys,

When I'm traveling, its a lot easier to do updates on Twitter and Facebook than the blog, so if interested, here are the links to both pages...

Twitter: @thecoolsub

Facebook: Inside UCLA

Readers: Post your final score prediction and vote in the poll. Closest to actual score with correct winning team gets to give me 10 questions to ask a player of their choosing, within reason, for an upcoming video.

Here's a link to UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel's appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show this morning: Neuheisel

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Daily News UCLA beat writer Jon Gold and former UCLA starting quarterback Ben Olson talk about UCLA's season opener — which is three days away — against Kansas State in a non-conference game.

How do teams like going on the road? Is UCLA's game plan set? Will Richard Brehaut play significant minutes?

Jon and Ben will discuss these questions and more.

Plus, Jon interviews Brandon Huffman of Scout.com about UCLA's chances to recruit quarterback Brett Hundley.

Listen to today's podcast by clicking the play button above, downloading the MP3 directly, or going to the podcast home page and subscribing to the feeds for iTunes or your favorite podcast-listening application.

The Inside UCLA Podcast is produced by Jon Gold and Steven Rosenberg.

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Here's Kevin Prince's thoughts on how practice went today.
``I'm feeling good. I'm feeling better everyday. I'm able to make more throws. I made a throw on the run to the left today, which I hadn't done for a little while. Happy with that. It's not perfect, but I'm continuing to improve and I'm happy with it. ... Accuracy, I thought, was a lot better. I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable behind the line.''

Kevin Prince took snaps, along with Richard Brehaut, and said he hasn't experienced any pain or soreness after the last three days of practice. He did say the oblique strain is a ``tiny bit'' tight but not terrible.
Asked if he could play if the game was today, Prince said:
``Yes, I feel fine.''

Kai Forbath (groin) didn't kick again today. He said the decision to not kick today was a ``group decision.''
``No one wants me to push it and be out longer than I have to be,'' Forbath said.
Forbath revealed he had an MRI on the groin a couple of weeks ago because the swelling wasn't going down.
Forbath also said he still could be fine to kick at Kansas State on Saturday, even if he hasn't kicked much in practice.
``That's just a confidence thing,'' Forbath said.

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While I've heard from some very reliable guys that it's UCLA for Notre Dame transfer Shaq Evans, he just texted me saying that he hasn't chosen UCLA and was still deciding. I'm not saying it's not happening, I'm just relaying what he told me as of about 20 minutes ago.

Recently released Notre Dame wide receiver Shaq Evans appears headed to UCLA, or at least so says the South Bend Tribune: Story

I'd heard Oregon was the front-runner - and everything on Evans Facebook wall indicates Oregon, but now things appear to have changed. Evans was rated the No. 12 wideout by Scout.com but found himself buried on the Notre Dame depth chart.

* Not too much to report today, as there were no injuries, and the depth chart issues have appeared to be settled out.

* Kevin Prince took major, major strides today, and he delivered a few balls that just looked downright fantastic. Timing is still off a little, but he's back and looking good. Said there's only a little tightness, and not much pain.

* Patrick Larimore looks like the guy at middle linebacker, but expect Steve Sloan to get a ton of time, too. Larimore has had several really good practices since returning from his minor injury, and while Sloan is a reliable, veteran option, I know the coaches are allured by Larimore's raw talent. By moving Zumwalt to SAM, there's an indication that the coaching staff looks at Larimore as the answer at the position.

* There were a few cases of the drops, particularly from the tight ends, as Cory Harkey dropped a clean pass and Joseph Fauria dropped a couple.

* Kai Forbath remains out, but he said earlier this week he didn't expect to be back until Wednesday, anyway. Neuheisel said either Jeff Locke or Kip Smith would kick if needed, and that he wasn't going to worry about the potential Smith redshirt. "We want to win now," Neuheisel said.

* Dietrich Riley continues to progress, and while I don't expect him to push ahead of Tony Dye, I think there's no doubt he's a future superstar. Not just a future starter. Carries himself like a star, patrols the field like a star.

* Still need to see more from Jordon James, but he had a couple of runs that really impressed me. He said in a brief interview the other day that he did not expect to redshirt, and I would be surprised if he did after watching him more.

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Here's my feature on Rick Neuheisel from today's Daily News: The Process

Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club

Breakfast with the Bruins
Friday, Sept 10--7 am
Head Coach Rick Neuheisel
Key UCLA Football Players
UCLA Spirit Squad
Olympic Collection
11301 W Olympic Blvd (@ Sawtelle)
$25 includes breakfast buffet, program, and parking
For more information, contact Claudia Hart @ 310-348-UCLA or email @ claudia4UCLA@yahoo.com

UCLABruins.com has a sneak peak at the teams new road uniforms, including the new John Wooden sticker for the helmets: Check it out

Daily News UCLA beat writer Jon Gold and former Bruins starting quarterback Ben Olson return to the booth to look at the football season ahead. They talk about:

• The quarterback debate: Kevin Prince vs. Richard Brehaut, and why getting more reps on the field makes for a better QB

• The quality of UCLA's recruiting class and what it means for the Bruins in 2010

• Jon talks with Tracy Pierson of BruinReportOnline.com and Scout.com about the QB question as well as UCLA's pursuit of Arizona high-school quarterback Brett Hundley

Listen to today's podcast by clicking the play button above, downloading the MP3 directly, or going to the podcast home page and subscribing to the feeds for iTunes or your favorite podcast-listening application.

The Inside UCLA Podcast is produced by Jon Gold and Steven Rosenberg.

I've had a few emails and comments about Todd Golper, so I asked Rick Neuheisel for an update following the press conference:

Golper had to get a second epidural for back pain and is now in rehab, and Neuheisel expects him out about six weeks. Jordan Zumwalt is now listed as the No. 3 MLB and No. 2 Sam linebacker.

* Kevin Prince looked good in his most action since Day 2 of fall camp, displaying a nice zip - at times too much zip - on his passes. Prince and Brehaut rotated with the first unit, with Brehaut sometimes with the twos, and Darius Bell leading the second- and third-units.

* In drills against the scout team defense, Prince threw several passes, including some medium-to-deep routes. Moved around a lot and looks fine on that front, and at this point, I'd have to assume he'll be ready for Kansas State.

* The one issue that remains for Prince: Working on the sharpness and timing.

* Looks like Chris Ward and Wade Yandall have spots on the two-deep offensive line, but I'd be shocked if Yandall played this year. He looks good, but needs to refine his technique, and coaches think he could be really good down the line.

* Not too much to report on the injury front, as only the long-term guys were out Monday. Todd Golper remains out with a back issue.

* Micah Kia had a large elbow pad on his left elbow, but was at full-go.

* Kai Forbath continues to nurse a sore groin and was held out.

* Patrick Larimore looks to have taken the lead at middle linebacker, as he was competing with the first unit almost exclusively.

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UCLA has updated its depth chart heading into Saturday's season opener with Kansas State: New DC

Here are the surprises, and not-so-surprises:
QB: Kevin Prince OR Richard Brehaut
TB: Derrick Coleman OR Johnathan Franklin
WR: Randall Carroll OR Jerry Johnson at No. 2 split end behind Rosario
WR: Ricky Marvray at No. 2 flanker behind Embree, ahead of Smith
F-back: Morrell Presley OR Anthony Barr

OLB: Jordan Zumwalt at No. 2 behind Ayers, ahead of Bowens
SS: Dietrich Riley at No. 2 behind Dye, ahead of McKay

More from my one-on-one interview with Rick Neuheisel...

No practice today, so I figured I'd start the Q&A a day early...

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

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Sat down with Rick Neuheisel for a long interview the other day, and here are some of his quotes...

In this part, I brought up a question I asked Neuheisel last year:
If putting a team together is like putting a puzzle together - open the box, pour out the pieces, turn them rightside-up, corners, sides, middle - what stage are you at?

Sat down with Rick Neuheisel for a long interview the other day, and here are some of his quotes...

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In today's episode, Daily News sportswriters Jon Gold and Vinny Bonsignore talk about:

• The Manny Ramirez question: Should the Dodgers keep him, and can he help them make up a 5-game deficit and get into the playoffs?

• Are Major League pitchers throwing too hard

• Turning to college football, does Boise State's schedule make its pre-season national ranking worthless?

• More on college football and the season ahead

Listen to the show by clicking the play button above, download the MP3 directly, or go to the JV Show blog to subscribe to the feeds for iTunes or your non-Apple application via regular ol' RSS.

"The JV Show" is produced and engineered by Jon Gold and Steven Rosenberg. Theme music by Matt Evans.

Opening Statement:
"The good news is no one was hurt. We survived it. We went about 70 plays, maybe 75, got a lot of kicking done and it was a very worthwhile effort by everyone involved. I think it was very productive."

On Kevin Prince:
"Kevin Prince did not participate:

On players returning from injury:
"Ricky Marvray was back in action doing very well, at least three catches. Jordon James got 10-12 carries and looked good. Malcolm Jones was back in action and looked good. Joseph Fauria was in there, a little rust on him , but he played. Had one chance for a catch and dropped it."

On deciding not to make it a live scrimmage, and more of a walk-through:
"I'm trying to make sure we get everybody to the dance. Every time people go to the ground, people are susceptible. That's how we lost Kai Maiava. Now we're going to have to work really hard this week with tackling."

On Richard Brehaut:
"I thought he was really good again. I think he had a TD pass, completed 65-70 percent of his passes, looked very sharp."

On Kevin Prince's date-of-no-return:
"I'm going to let a few more days go by before we make that determination. Coaches always say you want them there by Wednesday, and that's what I'd say. Obviously you'd like to see him earlier.

Just so everyone's aware, UCLA has its Rose Bowl scrimmage today, and we're doing a conference call with Rick Neuheisel at 3 p.m. So there will be no update today, but I'll have some of what he says up later.

Check out a great interview with Clark Lea later today, though.

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Understand one thing: Andrew Abbott did not hit the lottery or strike straight red 7s or find a pot of gold.

He did not get lucky, and he does not have a four-leaf clover.

When UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel decided to reward the third-year UCLA cornerback with a scholarship earlier this week, Abbott did not hit the jackpot. He was rewarded for a job well-done.

"I put in a lot of work, meeting with my teammates, in the film room, even last season, and even before then, in high school, I put a lot of work in, and it all culminated in this scholarship," Abbott said. "But I'm not done yet, I've still got more to do."

It's that dogged determination that has led Abbott from a scarcely recruited Mater Dei High senior to UCLA's starting nickel back.

Abbott received no scholarship offers out of high school, colleges scared off by his slight, 5-10, 178-pound frame. He was down-trodden, the stages of grief setting in, finally realizing he wasn't going to get the ride. He considered walking-on at Oregon, but that was too far.

"'I'm not going to get one, I might as well walk-on somewhere, where do I have the best shot at playing?'" Abbott recalls thinking. "I was sold on it once coach Neuheisel told me I was in. I was here the next day."
And once he was in Westwood, he started to make his move.

He wasn't going to settle with a walk-on's role, simply going through the motions, happy to be on the team, hoping to maybe get a snap here or there.

"I knew I could be a great player when I came here," Abbott said. "Yeah, I am a late bloomer, but that's what pushed me so hard in the offseason, in high school. Every day I think about that. Not many teams took a shot on me, Coach Neuheisel gave me that shot, so I come out here every day and I give him everything I've got."

The coaches noticed quickly. As a redshirt freshman walk-on in 2009, Abbott appeared in every game, making 22 tackles for the season.

"It's neat when a guy can earn it," UCLA defensive backs coach Tim Hundley said. "Every year there's somebody who's really deserving of it, it seems like. Recruiting is not an exact science. The history of recruiting is filled with guys who you took late or you didn't take at all who end up being big-time players. Kids that say I'll prove you wrong, and come out to do it, it's great to reward those guys."

Sometimes it felt like it would never happen, like he would always be the one extra guy on the roster, good enough to contribute, not good enough to see the fruits of his labor.

"At times it was tough; at times I was like, 'Man, I should have one. I should have one,'" Abbott said. "But my mom, she kept me real grounded. One thing she told me, 'When God says move, it's going to happen.'"

It finally happened for Abbott on Tuesday.

But he didn't hit the jackpot.
UCLA did.