Dean to transfer?

I had a lot of faith in this kid, hoping he wouldnt feel entitled to reps without having to earn them. But if he isn't willing to earn his spot through competition...then it's best if he moves on.

This may be just one more scholie that we needed to open up to accomodate the 2009 class. I feel badly for the kid. His redshirt was wasted last year, and I had a hard time believing that Christain Ramirez was better.

He was a gem from the 2008 class. The burning of his redshirt year did not help. It is really hard to understand how one of the top-rated backs in the country from Texas could not break into our starting lineup.

Yet we are comforted in knowing that there are a lot of strong horses in the stable.

I agree with Greg,what have Ramirez done to have won the starting job,I dont think He's better than any of the other backs.He was suspended all last year,and did'nt participate in spring ball,how in hell is he the starter,i think that sends the wrong message inside the program.GOOD LUCK TO YOU ANDRE,I DONT THINK YOU GOT A FAIR SHAKE.

This is SUCH freaken BS. He must not have liked what he saw in Spring training with regards to him getting a legit shot. How can our staff not find a spot for such a talent? That's great. Now we might get to watch him flourish somewhere else and wonder what could have been.

My sources have indicated that the above "Brian Dohn" is someone horsing around with you guys.

I agree with the above. What has Ramirez done in 4 years? Can Dean really be that bad of a blocker. There must be something else that we don't know. If he ends up at SUC we'll see if our coaching staff has the ability to judge talent. Maybe he wants to go to SUC because he is afraid of actually having to attend classes.

is this a power play on deans part to get more reps? if so would the coaches give in or just let him walk. he seemed to be such a talented kid coming out of high school, i cant believe UCLA would just let him go. especially to USC

In all honesty, I think this is GOOD NEWS for Andre Dean and the UCLA Football Program. There is a LOGJAM at the RB position, headed by the talented Christian Ramirez (who never got a fair shake by Karl Dorrell), Derin Coleman, Milton Knox, Justin Franklin, Raymond Carter, Craig Sheppard, Chase Moline, Michael Pitre, Trevor Theriot, Osaar Rashan, etc.

That is a certified LOGJAM at the RB position and the fact is that there are not that many carries for the RB position, especially behind the Gimpy O-line and with the emergence of the talented Purple Rain Prince who is going to bring back the deep ball to Westwood not seen around these parts in a decade or so.

Good for Andre Dean and I wish him the best of luck in his career. Just like we wished for Emmanuel Moody a couple of years ago when he left.

He isn't going to USC. That wasn't real.

In all honesty, if Andre Dean could not crack the starting line-up at UCLA, what makes anyone think that Dean can crack the starting line-up at the FB Programme across town?

In all honesty, the only player who maybe would crack the starting line-up at the FB Programme across town is Brian Price.

I am amazed by some of these comments. Clearyly most of you have not been to any of the spring practices. Yes I agree Ramirez should not have been given the title of starter so early on but he is clearly our best back, he does everything well including blocking and catching the ball out of the back field. If Dean were better than him he would be playing. IMO he lacks a burst, hesitates too much and runs straight up, rather than getting low and using his large frame to run people over.

And he isn't going to USC, figure it out.

I bet Carroll is dying to get his hands on UCLA's fifth string running back.

Maybe he'll get a BCS championship at Oklahoma just like Moody got one when he transferred from $c to Florida.

Has anyone thought that maybe the guy isn't really as good as everyone thought he was going to be? It's easier to find running capable and good running backs more so than lineman. Move on and forget about it.

You have to be able to block when your line is weak;he couldn't.

Ex-bruin,how isRamirez clearly our best back,he has been hurt all spring,he didnt play all last year,he couldnt unseat an average Markey,or Bell,it sends the wrong message to give away positions,especially the Rb,that is a premium position,Ramirez has not earned anything,he let the team down by being ineligible last year.

Remember the Combination of Crissman and Dean being the best combination since McKnown and Foster........
NOT! recruiting is an inperfect science. If the kid was getting it done in practice he would get a chance. The truth is he came from a small school in Texas where he was the King. Now he is in the Big time and he is just another guy on the team who needs to bust his ass to get the reps. If he transfers I dont see him being a standout RB at another major college program. Good Luck.

Not much to get worked up about. He simply wasn't good enough to play for a lowly UCLA team. End of story.

Anon 6:24,
Like I said, I agree that he should not have been given the "starter" title so early but he is currently the best back we have. You only strengthen my point by saying that he has been hurt all spring because even while having a hamstring injury he has separated himself from the pack. He played a significant amount the last week of spring practice and he clearly looked like the best rb.

What are some of you people thinking?

You think Norm Chow knows this kid is a supreme talent but has decided to keep in on the sidelines out of spite or something? You think the current coaching staff has any obligation to hand Ramirez anything?

They will play the best player at the position, plain and simple. The constant shuffling of our O-line to find the best combination should be proof of that.

If I hear that Dean isn't getting reps, that tells me he isn't getting it done when he has his opportunities in practice. Maybe he can run well but if he can't block, then he's not good enough. Would Chow start a running back who can block but hasn't shown that he can be a good runner and pass-catcher? I highly doubt it.

Have a little faith in our coaching staff people, I think they've earned it.

Dean might just be one of the many highly touted high school players who don't live up to their billing. It happens a lot.

Best of luck to him.

Bruinswin!,

Well put, thanks!

The only transfer I am concerned about is B.Dohn.

You hit the nail right on the head Bruinswin!. I hate all these armchair coaches coming on here not knowing anything about coaching or the team. I would add more to what you said but you covered all bases. Bravo. Go Bruins!

to Anonymous and others

Wasnt Ramirez on the scout team last season?? Maybe he PROVED what he had then but couldnt play cause he was ineligible? ever thought of that?

And the ones who said UCLA wasted Dean by redshirting him, HELLO did you see our OL last year??

Lot of teams want Aundre Dean. It is UCLA's loss, not his. Gee, I wonder now if all the national great high school backs are going to want to come to UCLA and block for that NC "Kevin Craft cannot throw deep" roll out low percentage passing game with the QB 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage throwing five yards down the field to TE is the main receiver. UCLA has never won without being able to run the ball, featuring especially "play action" passing. Neuheisal should now--he ran that when he played. And great linemen are not coming to UCLA if Bruins cannot get great backs to blow through (Bell '07? Coleman, Ramirez '08?) holes they make.
Hopefully, the Bruins (10-16 overall the last two seasons) can really beat up Tennessee bad in Knoxville on September 12 in Neyland Stadium where the QB cannot be heard. Dean leaves, how do Bruins convince top backs around the nation to come to Westwood.

We have already got some great backs to come to westwood in the 2008 class and there are around 20 D1 caliber rb's in SoCal this recruiting class (2010) so getting another 1 to 2 this offseason should not be an issue

hey Anon
Kevin Craft isnt our starting QB anymore(knocks on wood).

Great lineman arent coming?? HELLO we got Husiak and Sua'a-Filo coming in.

Obviously we have the backs since Dean is considering transferring. Why else would he want out? To much playing time??

So dont know what the heck you are talking about??

There's only a logjam at running back if you have a few top notch all-american type performers. If you don't, then it's nothing more then a place where there's an opportunity to step up and take control and win the position. If you can't do that, then maybe it is time to go elsewhere. And if Dean can't step up, well, it is what it is. Move on and find that right guy. Looks like Dean is blowing it, if he is suppose to be that good. Is he???

Anon 12:18, Dean doesn't want to play for that kind of coach? You mean the kind of coach who will start the player with the best abilities to help the team win? If that truly is the case with Dean, then dont let the door hit you, you know where, as you leave.

Did anyone know that Aundre could also play the saxophone. Hes also pretty talented musically

How can any recruit interpret anything a coach says a "promise" to start? A coach can't possibly promise such a thing, in the ordinary sense of the word. About the most he could say is that he is pretty sure the guy will start by such and such time based on his assessment of the guy's abilities and the other backs on the roster. But if the guy comes in and gets beat out by other players (and, in this case, apparently by all the other players), then he can't start him over the other guys based on recruiting hype.

If Dean actually thought he was "promised" a starting spot, no matter how he performed in practice, then he is a moron.

i take it Anonymous is either Dean or a relative.
You have any proof Anon? kind of hard to believe an Anonymous poster on Blogs.

Also hard to believe Neuheisel would promise him a starting job in 2009 when Neu was just getting starting here(2008).

Wasnt Dean actually recruited by Jay Novell??

I believe the post by anonymous 2:27,expect at least one more back to leave,maybe two.Ramirez has not beat anybody out,he has 98 career yds,Coleman has more,Ramirez missed all last year because of grades,so who did he beat out for the job?He didnt even practice this spring,so how in hell is he the starting rb?I dont think he has earned it at all.

Hey,

C'mon now, this is really simple. Dean wasn't ready to play last year. It turns out he isn't really very fast or, more importantly, very quick. Guess what? He was overrated coming out of high school.

This is a simple win-win for UCLA & Dean.

If they're smart the coaches will move Coleman to FB.

Annon 2:27
Deans other mistake, apparently, was not performing better than the other running backs well enough to "earn" the starting rb position.

There are two primary stages of our players.
1. Recruit 2. Player
Since he is no longer a recruit, I only care what he does as a player. And yes, he should have been red shirted last year, and CRN said as much...but it did not happen, so let's move on.

Frankly, what does it say about him if he can't even make the top 3 in the depth chart on a rebuilding team. Hello. You want to start or play more, start fighting for it. I'm glad our coaches do not just grant starting positions based on how you were recruited, ala karl dorrell.

Hate to see you go, but next. This is how we must look at, we should only worry about players on the roster who want to play.

he's oregon bound. ducks have a better running game. I don't see him getting much playing time, though

UCLA isn't going to let him go to a school we play while he is still in college. It's the same for every transferring player at every school.

Sigma Chi has it...most of these releases usually stipulate that the player must transfer out of conference.

BTW, all the character-assasination (from USC fans or otherwise) is childish...leave that for Bruinsnation.

I happened to have played behind Dean at Katy. He started working harder than anyone I know once he realized his potential and I doubt that has changed. I run into his parents from time to time and they said its been frustrating for him seeing that he gets 2 plays every 15 minutes or so to show what he can do. Anybody that has gone through a football practice knows there's not much of a chance to shine when you have 4+ players at your position. I'm guessing he's just tired of not getting a shot to prove himself and he's looking to move on to a place where he could.

And btw, Katy is far from a small school. We play in the highest classification in Texas and are easily one of the top 25/top 50 programs in the nation. 2500+ students and crowds of 10,000 or more are the norm.

To EX:

He can transfer within conference, but you're right it's up to the school. Check Jamere Holland who was at USC, requested to be released, chose Oregon, Carroll wouldn't approve his transfer to Oregon, but the USC overruled Carroll.

Any respectable team will have a logjam at the running back position. Unless Aundre Dean goes to UTEP, he will have to earn his carries during practice. I was excited to hear that he scored a TD in one of scrimmages, but I guess it was not enough to satisfy him.

It is indeed a sad situation, as most everyone affiliated with the program had high hopes for him.

I hope Mr. Dean doesn't leave, because he may end up like Emmanuel Moody, a top notch recruit fighting for carries at a top notch program.

I have to believe the RN and Chow are not playing favorites but playing the best player.

Since Raymond Carter is transferring out of the program, Dean could have moved up one slot by attrition. Survival of the most talented is something this program has lacked for years under the Dorrell regime, good riddance.

Alright some guy says he came from a small school in texas?? WTF are you taking about he came from Katy which is the back to back state champs in the biggest division possible in texas 5A

Hey Bruins, ya gotta accept the fact that Dean transferred to TCU which is a superior team with a solid O-line. He made a good decision. Who knows, he may be the next LT.