Answers, Part XI
I will have a few more sets of answers Saturday morning, and post if there is breaking news tonight, but for now this is the last set of answers for the night:
If you had to pick one player who the average fan doesn't know about to have a breakout year on the football team who would it be?Aaron Hester, an incoming freshman cornerback. I think he could be starting at cornerback by October, and the plan now is to use him the way Alterraun Verner was used as a freshmnan.
Why are you so uptight about people arguing on the blog? How can people argue without "attacking other posters?" Because I like to keep a civilized debate going without resorting to grade school antics. ...And my need to explain how to argue with attacking other posters is quite alarming, but I shall indulge you.
Example of an attack: Hey, moron (or worse), you don't know what you're talking about you (deleted) because UCLA has done this, this and that, and you say otherwise. Get your facts straight you (deleted).
Example of healthy debate: You are wrong. UCLA has done this, this and that, and here are examples of it.
How interested is Orson Charles in UCLA?I'm not sure because I keep getting conflicting reports from some of my sources on him. I know he is supposed to be at UCLA and USC this month, so that tells me he, in the least, has an interest.
Do you have any new info. on Reggie Dunn. How are his grades or does he still have intrest in UCLA. He still has an interest in UCLA, but he has some work to do in the classroom before he could get there. I know UCLA is monitoring him, but there is no chance he could get to UCLA this fall.
With Edwards likely to obtain the grades necessary to be awarded a scholarship in August, is it safe to assume that the team is now at 84 scholarships and that a scholarship is therefore available for him? Has Pat Cowan taken a medical retirement and thereby freed up a scholarship? A scholarship is available for him, and although no announcement (to my knowledge) has been made on Cowan, I'm told he will take a medical retirement and free up a scholarship.
Last year it seemed that an unusually high number of the top high school players in California met the academic requirements necessary to be recruited by UCLA. Does there seem to be a smaller number of the top local high school players this year with the academic grades and test scores necessary for UCLA? Might this be one reason why recruiting seems to be going slower this year? Not to my knowledge. I think coach Rick Neuheisel's approach was to brand UCLA nationally again, and that was where the focus of his recruiting began.
why couldnt you disclose the west coast school for stanback right away? its interestingBecause a source asked me to get it from another person before I named the school (it was Washington), so, like I always do, I protected a source.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
You have made some comments on the O-line. Brian, do you see the problem with the offensive line as a lack of talent, depth, experience or coaching?
If it is coaching, the team seems to have a good one in Palcic. Talent is tough to determine because of the lack of experience, but these were some highly recruited kids coming out of school. The lack of experience is obvious. But, a team seems to have some depth at the interior positions. Tackle is obviously a worry.
Pat
"Last year it seemed that an unusually high number of the top high school players in California met the academic requirements necessary to be recruited by UCLA. Does there seem to be a smaller number of the top local high school players this year with the academic grades and test scores necessary for UCLA? Might this be one reason why recruiting seems to be going slower this year?"
One reason CRN is going nationally for the 2009 class is b/c the California class is not that deep as the 2008 one. "Branding UCLA nationally" is less of a reason.
UCLA was successful recruiting the inner city last year because over 50% of the football players were admitted through special exemption rules.
"Some campuses use the "admission-by-exception" policy to enroll students from underperforming schools or low-income families. But other schools, most notably UCLA and UC Berkeley, use the exceptions primarily for athletes."
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_8914335?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com