Exclusive Interview with Kevin McReynolds
Just got off the phone with Kevin McReynolds, Scout.com's No. 24 defensive tackle, and...whoa. Check it out.
JG: Take me through your Signing Day...
Kevin McReynolds: "It was a tremendous opportunity. The whole day was really hectic. The thing was, I came down in purple, I threw everyone off in the morning. But it wasn't staged that way by any means. My mom said she wanted me to match her. I kept saying, 'Mom, this is purple.' She would just stare, just wasn't putting it together. I was like, 'Kansas State...purple...wildcats." She says, 'Oh, oooooh yeah.' About five minutes before I was going on air I was changing clothes."
JG: What was it about UCLA that helped you come to your decision?
KM: "Coach Neuheisel was a tremendous asset to me the whole year. He wasn't pressuring at all. We could talk about life and everything. For me, it felt like it was just home. God has blessed me with many opportunities, and I sat in my room a couple nights before and said this just feels right, this feels like home. I'm really close to Brett (Hundley) already, AO, Zumwalt. I'm happy to be in this position. This is definitely a great opportunity."
JG: Four-and-eight kind of stares you in the face; why was that not a factor for you? Or was it?
KM: "I'm going to start off with the defensive line alone. You have Cassius Marsh, who had a tremendous season. You have Datone coming back, and that's huge, and there's Owa. And inside, that spot is kind of still where there is a chance that I can come in and play. I'm not saying I'll start, but I definitely want to try to break into that two-man rotation my freshman year. I understand I have to learn, and I understand I'm young, but I work hard. I don't like sitting on the bench by any means. I'm going to push myself to that point so I can get to that one day. I'm not flying across the country to go to school - and that's nothing against UCLA, an amazing school - and not play sometime."
JG: How has the recruiting process gone with UCLA?
KM: "I went out there over the summer, and I loved it. I loved Oregon, all those schools. I started cutting it down. But when I got to this point in the last couple weeks, I had to think about the school that made me feel the most comfortable. The school that I thought could help me develop the way I want to be developed, where I could grow as more than an athlete, but a person, too. That is huge. A lot of people think of players as we just focus on football. No. You have to focus on the development of the whole."
JG: Why was UCLA that place?
KM: "My thing was, I wanted to go somewhere where I had the best place to succeed. The road to the Pac-12 champ is not going to be in one year. It's going to be a progression. I feel like this is the best way we can do it. Yeah, this year's class wasn't that big, and you only have a couple "big names," household names. Let me take Boise State for example - they don't by any means have any 5-star or 4-star kids on that team. They're built on one, two, three-stars. You don't need that to build a winning program. Texas has fives and fours, but guess what? They don't win all the time. They don't win all the time, because when you have a whole bunch of all-stars, that doesn't mean they can play together. You have to build people who come together and win together."
JG: You seem to be a very poised kid, you've gotten your name out there...
KM: "A lot of people don't understand that I'm the calmest guy under pressure ever. Yesterday my mic wasn't working five minutes up to the announcement. They were going around, switching things, fixing my ear piece, and all of a sudden I was just like, 'Hey we're on air, and I had the greatest feeling. But I'm not alone. Brett and I are guys with a lot of face time together. I have this documentary on ESPN Rise. I'm used to this. A lot of people say L.A. fits for me. Attention doesn't bother me. Most of the time you stick a camera in a kids face, they throw up gang signs, shout outs. Not me. No, its the way you carry yourself. Swagger is the way you carry yourself. My image is my business.
"I run a mentor program at home and I have this kid who looks up to me who I love, and I don't want to let that kid down. I want to help him. I want to help people. That's the biggest thing in this world. I have to help people."
*Editor's note: Whoa. Check him out here:
Is this a 17/18 year old kid????? Very inspiring stuff, Jon.
I loved this one Jon....What a sharp kid!!! GO BRUINS
JG: Why was UCLA that place?
KM: "My thing was, I wanted to go somewhere where I had the best place to succeed. The road to the Pac-12 champ is not going to be in one year. It's going to be a progression. I feel like this is the best way we can do it. Yeah, this year's class wasn't that big, and you only have a couple "big names," household names. Let me take Boise State for example - they don't by any means have any 5-star or 4-star kids on that team. They're built on one, two, three-stars. You don't need that to build a winning program. Texas has fives and fours, but guess what? They don't win all the time. They don't win all the time, because when you have a whole bunch of all-stars, that doesn't mean they can play together. You have to build people who come together and win together
Nothing against KM, sounds like a nice kid, BUT . . .
they all sound like nice kids coming in to the program. They all say the right things. They all inspire. What I would like to see is all of this inspiring sh!t translate to wins on the field of play. I want mean, nasty, chest-thumping, hat hitting footballers! I want swaggar, piss, vinegar, spit, blood and WINS. I want to brutalize opposing teams. I want lopsided victories. I don't want nice young gentlemen with their heads screwed on straight. That is until some mean, nasty player from the opposing team knocks it off their narrow shoulders. GET MEAN BRUINS! GET WINS!
Great job Jon, and I like the exclusive signing day profiles. Keep up the great work. Any way you can get a question answer with Torian White?
thanks, Jon,
keep these coming. McReynolds sounds like he will fit right at UCLA.
@Ultimate Bruin
Bro, I've ready your same comments before. Settle down man. It's not the WWE and Hulk Hogan.
Josh, maybe I will settle down. On the other hand, go . . . yourself.
The term "5-star human being" comes to mind.
WOW! This kid is grade "A". This is what a Bruin is and should be. It takes a big douche to post ANYTHING negative about this kid or this post. Jon, this comment section would be the perfect place to find those people that need to be banned.
@Ley...
still no DC...our intuitive thinking of "RN hired Shannon and stayed under the radar strategy" did not happen ...I guess we over-estimated RN...lol
Jon, great interview. Thanks for your excellent signing day coverage...and bigger picture perspective. Glad to have this young man representing UCLA.
If we get Seto, I suppose he will bring his son "Troy" to the games. Can you imagine that? We hire a DC from SC that wanted to do something else for a living but heard about the 'volunteer' opening at SC and decided, 'What the hell!' He is a die-hard Trojan -- so much so that he named his son Troy! Yeah! That is the guy I want at the helm of the D.
Year after year, UCLA gets commitments from fantastic CITIZENS, as well as student athletes---I am proud of my association with UCLA,a and always will be
UB, you are really a DoucheBag. Why don't you just leave?
And people don't think that Neuheisel is a good recruiter? The guy gets it. He loves recruiting. He has a great swagger and energy. He knows how to relate to players and their parents. If UCLA starts winning on a consistent basis watch out.
Good kid...he made a good choice for his college experience...unfortunatly, he bought into the fake rebuilding recruting comments by Neuheisal. Neuheisal's program is moving in the exact opposite direction. In fact, it's approaching a melt-down. McReynolds will have a mediocre football experience just like most of the other recruits that also swallowed the rebuilding blather. Again, UCLA is a great university but the football program is in a free-fall