Weekly Answers, Pt. 4

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…

1) From all you’ve heard about possible silent commits and people we have a really good shot with..on Feb 2nd will we be: A)Elated B)Feel better than expected because of surprises C)neutral D)Disappointed E)Jumping off building. And Why? – E
Somewhere between D and E, but only because UCLA fans are nuts and will forget that Brett Hundley is already on campus and that alone is worth celebrating. Sorry about the nuts line, though. I shouldn’t offend almonds like that.

2) Over the last 2 seasons… I can’t stand when a kid we want picks USC or CAL and then they say the reason they chose that school was becasue of Ed O or Tosh Lupoi. All these kids do is praise the dirt they walk on. 1) Is Howard the answer or is it time to cut ties and hire a new D-Line coach that can recruit? I like Howard but he keeps losing out on key recruits. 2) Is it realistic for us to think we can steal Tosh Lupoi away from Cal or the TCU D-line coach from them? – tapdatazz
Before this season, Howard has been a pretty good recruiter, and UCLA does have a ton of young defensive line talent that frankly scares kids away. Plus, yeah, Orgeron and Lupoi are great recruiters, so I’m never surprised when they land the whales. And unless UCLA finds a way to pay significantly more than either of those two programs, no, I don’t think so.

3) Regarding the search for a new defensive coordinator, how much will finances play into who the Bruins can or will get? I think I remember Coach Neuheisel taking less in salary when he was hired so UCLA could attract Norm Chow with a decent offer. Not that I want to see Coach Chow get fired, but it seems that the Bruins might let him go simply for financial reasons so they can put more money into getting a better DC, then have Coach Neuheisel take over the majority of the OC duties and get a QB coach or a token OC. – CrouchingBruin
From what I understand, economics will play a big factor. All this talk about NFL defensive coordinators and high-major DCs was a bit premature, given the financial constraints. There’s a reason this search is taking a long time.

4) Has Brett Hundley enrolled in classes at UCLA, yet? If not enrolled, what is going with him? – rejn
Yes, started this week, and I met him in person for the first time yesterday. What a kid. I have a feeling you won’t be disappointed.

5) Jon thanks in advance, I have a Mamba? Black Mamba looked really good as a DB on Saturday (He was super fast to the ball and hit with authority and looked better than any CB we currently have)…any chance we can swing him? What % would you say? If we did sign him would he start? I think if Austin become our DC we might be able to sway him to westwood. Austin is a DB and his resume is full of NFL secondary coach work. – EZ
The chances are not good, if not completely through. But as I’ve said before, Rick Neuheisel has worked miracles in the past, and maybe he can pull a rabbit out of the tiniest hat in the world, because those are the chances. Regarding the chances of him starting, I never like to say that a freshman could immediately start, but with him, yeah, probably. He’s an exception to the rule.