Weekly Q&A

Are any of the incoming football recruits going to enroll early?

What's your take on Deonte Burton? How talented do you think he is? Where do you think UCLA is on recruiting him? (how far along in the process are they)

Will UCLA ever be a consistent top 15 football school or is that asking too much in todays college football environment?

In a chat you mentioned that if fans knew half of what went on in college football they would no longer be fans. What did you mean? Meaning most assume some kind of cheating like paying/gifts. Did you mean that or Cheating as in dropping games/other illegal activity?
(Asking since I doubt fans would drop their team if they knew they were giving players benefits; look at all the teams that are busted yet still have huge support).

Where is UCLA in terms of their contract with Addidas? Will they switch to NIKE? When is the deadline ?

Follow up to previous question. Would you consider writing a book when you are ready to retire about what you see/saw? Just interesting that so many people know what is going on yet say nothing. (Yes I know all teams are guilty, just curious for inside info)

Update on Maka please.

In your opinion, why doesn't J'mison Morgan play more? I guess the same could be asked of Brendan Lane.

Can we get a list of who red-shirted last year?

Chances with Dietrich Riley?

I read on another site that Owa is down to Nebraska and Ucla and that he would make his decision on signing day. Seems like he was a heavy Ucla lean, does this hurt our chances now that he has delayed his decision?

Jon - what do the football players now do during the offseason besides strength and conditioning? Can they practice schemes with their coaches? Playbook refinement?

OK Jon, I have read people say on some Bruin sites that Ben Howland's time should come to an end because of what has happened this season. I think 1 bad season after 3 straight great seasons should not make or break a coach. I know that UCLA basketball is supposed to contend for championships every year but do you agree that, once in a while, a team might have a few down years to rebuild? Sorry for the long question.

What are the chances of landing DT Fred Thompson? Also, his teammate Ryan Murphy is visiting as well, any news on him? He's listed at 6'2 205lb and runs a 4.42, that's impressive.

Do you expect any commitments this weekend?

Do you expect to see Coach Neuheisel do more to integrate his "speed" guys into next year's offense? I'm thinking specifically of Randall Carroll and Thigpen. Our offense this year sorely lacked for gamebreaking speed. -- Andy

Why has Moser been dropped from the rotation?

What are the best and worst case (but realistic) scenarios for the football record next year?

Do you think Howland changes his recruiting tactics after this season? He built his program on hardworking kids who bought into his philosophy, yet he seems to have wandered away from that type of recruit towards the scout.com glamor kids who are one and done after a season and leave the program in a lurch. Can he get it done (win the big dance) with the type of kid who stays in school for four years or has he signed a Faustian pact with the devil, and, at the expense of UCLA winning it all, become a prep school for the NBA?

What is the relationship between Hasaik and Sua'Filo and is there any connection between Hasaik's status and Sua'Filo's decision to go on his mission? They seem to be good friends.

You mention comments from coaches regarding the Hasiak situation, have you tried to reach Hasiak yourself?

Has Kai Forbath made his draft decision, or indicated which way he is leaning?

Do you expect any committments coming from the US Army AA game this weekend?

Is there any reason why Trey Ziegler and Ray McCallum are waiting so long to decide where they want to go? Seems like they're stringing all the schools along for the ride. Is UCLA still pressing hard for either one or have they decided to go after others (e.g. Lazer, Burton)?

Why is there such a stark difference in attitude toward football between UCLA and CAL. Is is that simple that the administration at CAL values football more than UCLA or are there more things at play? Why doesn't UCLA accept what college football is in this country and use it to market the school.

Would you project Kia as a starter on next year's O-Line?

If Prince beats out Brehaut for the starting job in this spring's practice, would Brehaut consider transferring?

have you considered making the questions section a once-a-month thing? How many times can you answer "do you expect any commitments this weekend" questions? Totally unrelated, will Shirley commit this weekend?

How were Capella and Able playing by the end of the year? Are they viable options for next year on OL? Is there a chance of seeing Able on D-line as that was his preference coming in?

Who do you think will be the starting RB next year? Do you expect Knox to transfer if he doesn't win the job?

I heard that we have different AWAY Football jerseys next season? What are the changes, what do they look like?

Not sure if I can ask a second question...if so, here it is: When Drew Gordon was allowed to leave UCLA, was this contingent upon him not playing for another pac10 school? Is that something a school can do?

Why doesnt UCLA hire a competent play by play man instead of Chris Roberts? Is it a money issue?

Accounting for Price leaving for the NFL, and the handful of juniors that were leaving the team, how many scholarhsips are still available for the current recruiting class?

Would you consider defense to still be the strength of the football team next season, or will the young and growing offense have to carry the team for us to be competitive?

Thanks,

PowderBlueBalls

Jon, I was wondering if you think that Howland is seriously considering starting Malcolm Lee at the point, instead of Jerime Anderson? And, do you think that would take some pressure off him?

Can you share your thoughts on why UCLA was so quick to offer Lazeric Jones? Any insider knowledge?

I know he's a 2 star but Cody Fajardo is a winner, very athletic, loved by coaches and team mates, good student. Any interest from Coach Chow or RN? If not why not? He's a fish in a barrel for the Bruins, IMO, a Russell Westbrook in waiting . . .

What is the most likely lineup for the offensive line next year?

When Gordon announced he was transferring, do you know if other coaches contacted Howland about Gordon's attitude? How do you think Howland might have answered?

UCLA football seems to recruit extremely well at the skill positions of QB, RB, WR, TE, S, and CB. Why doesn't UCLA recruit as well at the core positions of o-line, d-line, and linebacker?

Where do you think George Farmer commits?

I saw that someone asked about Maka, but what about Koster?

I've heard that there might be some transfers from our women's volleyball program. Can you confirm?

I've seen rumors (mostly posted by trojies) that Randall Carroll is moving to corner for spring practice. Have you heard anything about that?

When are you going to start answering the questions?

Any truth to the statemens from Tim Maymon, that UCLA is a potential destination for his son Jeronne (who pulled a Drew Gordon at my other alma mater Marquette)?

not a question, but can you make the chat feature to open only when one clicks a link (to a pop up window) so that the blog page doesn't keep scrolling down to the chat window? thanks for your great job.

Jon, love your work, keep it up, you're a real improvement over Dohn in terms of attitude and tone.

Which guys on the Ucla bball team do you think don't really belong in terms of talent and skill to play the game at the level expected of Ucla??

JG, who is the FB recruit that Ucla is going to land that no one at this time expects Ucla to land?

Hicksophant- Yo momma at Nose Tackle- She's slated to start and has got all the makings of an all-PAC10 career...

Will UCLA hire a new offensive coordinator?

with Thomas decommitting, do you think UCLA goes back to Shirley??

after watching last night BBall game, will Malcolm Lee's constant cramping ever go away? i heard that Emmitt Smith(could be another NFL player) would drink 2 bottles of Pedialyte before a game adn prevent. Do he drink that before? if not can you pass that info along :)

You may not want to answer this question, but I would be interested in your answer. I find many of the comments regarding the posts you and Jill put up extremely childish and insulting. I understand constructive comments are welcome, but how can you be motivated to give your best to this blog when so many readers feel it is an opportunity to take shots at your work?

During this past season, I was thrilled to see Coach Neuheisel reacclimate many former BRUINS to the program keeping them involved with the current team. I was equally glad to see Carnell Lake, one of our most prominent former players, introduced as a coach. Having said that, how would you rate coach Lake's first year on the job? How responsive were this year's players to his teachings? How active/effective has he been on the recruiting front?

As an extension to my previous question, I have long pined to family how much I would love to see UCLA bring back a few of our most prolific players. BRUIN legends such as Jamir Miller (DE's), Donnie Edwards (LB's), J.J. Stokes (WR's), and Jonathon Ogden (OL) I feel would be great both as coaches and work wonders in recruiting. We're all aware of their exploits at UCLA as well as in the pros. Have any of them or others sought to return to UCLA as coaches? Has UCLA tried to bring any of them in as graduate assistants?

Where do you think Jordan Zuwmalt commits?

Is it true that the UCLA shoe contract will be going to Crocs and the apparel contract to Snuggie?

Word association: 1)Andrew Bynum: Kareem Abudul-Jabbar. Bobo Jamaison:????? Any chance CBW could get a UCLA alumnus to mentor Bobo this summer? Bobo could prosper from the discipline/knowledge of Kareem. Could you probe the coaching staff re: what should happen in summer that could improve Bobo, Reeves, Stover -- da bigs?