Answers, Part XVIII

Given that UCLA football commit, Stan Hasiak has planned trips to Oregon State, USC, and Washington, should UCLA fans be concerned? Can you give us an update on his recruiting situation?
There is mild concern about Hasiak and UCLA, although the Bruins still are in the driver's seat. He wants to visit other schools and see if anything else jumps out at him. It's an opportunity to take free visits and experience different things, so I don't blame him for taking visits. Right now I think he winds up at UCLA, but there is still a long way to go in his process. If he goes anywhere else, I think it is USC.

Is there any downside to having football players enroll early for spring practice?
Not that I can think of.

Do you know if UCLA's recruiting philosophy focus' heavily on speed guys, like Florida. Does not seem like we have good overall team speed.
Speed is a big issue, and coach Rick Neuheisel told me this week it was something he needed to address in this recruiting class, and ones in the future. I think speed is a big reason UCLA is going after Markus Wheaton, De'Von Flournoy and Randall Carroll.

Will Sean Sheller be ready for next year's football season?
UCLA tells me he will be ready for spring practice, but he needs to get stronger because of all the time he lost in the weight room from his accident.

Heard rumblings that SC is trying to get Hasiak. Any truth to that? or any other recruit who has verbally committed to UCLA?
Yup. That is true. And I think USC has a chance to grab him. I thought that from the moment he committed. But I have not heard anything of substance about other UCLA recruits.

In the mid to late nineties, UCLA was annually getting top 5 recruiting classes nationally. I know you weren't covering UCLA then, but any idea through you sources about what changed with academic standards so that we can't let in the Ogdens, Mitchells, Fosters, Neces, etc?
I don't know enough about who was getting in and what academic challenges were in front of them at that time. Sorry, but I'll do some checking on it and see if I can get an answer. Ask again in about a month.

You think with Morrell's shocking commitment our chances of getting Randall Carroll might have went up to say fifty fifty? Also, any update on the Flournoy situation? Thanks a whole lot man!
First, Morrell's commitment wasn't shocking to me. I heard rumblings of it for months. Second, I don't think it makes it easier for another guy to jump. It may make it harder because USC is on guard more. I don't like to do percentages with whether a kid will flip. As for Flournoy, I'm told UCLA has a shot at him, and part of the reason is concern over USC's offensive direction because of a new coordinator.

Now that Pressley has flipped every USC commit considering UCLA will now flip as well, right?
Sure. And every kid playing as a backup at USC will also look to transfer to UCLA. As a matter of fact, I think USC will announce after the holidays that it is folding its program.

How is are progress was going with 2010 Big man Josh Smith?
Things are looking for very good with Josh Smith. From everyone I talk to, UCLA is the program to beat for Smith, and it will take an unexpected change in what is going on for him not to be at UCLA.