Inside UCLA Campus Correspondent Jacob Ruffman delivered the goods with this FANTASTIC recap of today’s Above and Beyond Lineman camp at Spaulding Field. Ruffman is a recruiting enthusiast and a terrific young writer, and I hope to have him as a frequent presence to ramp up our recruiting coverage. This is some great stuff, with interviews to follow tomorrow.
Enjoy….

***
There was a lot of energy at Spaulding Field on Saturday afternoon, which can be credited to the UCLA coaching staff, which was bouncing and yelling up until the last whistle at 4:30.
Among those participating – a group that included four-star prospects Kyle Kelley and Jeremy Castro“>DE/OLB Jeremy Castro and three-star recruits in DE Eli Ankou,
Tyler Averill, OT Chad Wheeler and OG Walker Williams – OL/DL Isaac Seumalo stood heads and shoulders above the rest.

***
Brandon Huffman of Scout.com said that Seumalo might be the second best offensive lineman in the western region this year to Joshua Garnett, a surprising assessment, considering there are six 5-star and 10 4-star offensive linemen in the region.
At defensive end, Seumalo blew by literally every offensive lineman – he was not stopped once – by combining advanced technique with an array of moves and impressive bend and balance off the edge.
Likewise, on offense, he was near-impenetrable, denying most every defensive lineman access to the dummy behind him.
It is still very early in the recruiting process and while many believe he’s a lock to Oregon State because his father, Joe Seumalo, is the defensive line coach for the Beavers, Issac insists that he is still open. There was a lot of chatter that Stanford
could actually be his leader right now, not Oregon State, but UCLA could be in the picture until the end, thanks to defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield, who is close friends with the Seumalo family because of to his playing days as a Beaver.

***
Castro had a great day but left early because of a shoulder injury. He showed a lot of energy and his speed/size combination is extremely impressive.
As of now, Castro has Oregon on top, but UCLA seems to be closing the gap. The longer Castro waits to commit the better for UCLA. Castro has expressed concern about the Bruins’ recent lack-of-success, but a successful start could be just what they need to get the ball rolling on some of these premiere prospects.

***
Kelley was one of the more exciting prospects to watch on the day. He plays really low and utilizes his quickness to elude blockers. He is built to be an outside linebacker in a 3/4 defense, but UCLA would be able to utilize him thanks to his
pass-rushing abilities. Currently, UCLA sits in good position for him thanks to the proximity to home and his ties to the school – both his father and uncle went to UCLA – but his recruitment should last for a while. Kelley has offers from Florida and most of the Pac-12 schools, so he’ll probably end up taking all of his visits, but he is a prime target for the Bruins.

***
Ankou got progressively stronger as the day went on, and he is a good-looking prospect that has size, an excellent motor and a great attitude. Ankou hasn’t garnered too much attention because he plays in Ontario, Canada, but he looked very good today against some very good linemen.

***
Averill had a very good day working with the offensive linemen. He is the prototypical Servite lineman: refined footwork, seaoned form, very active hands. He only has seven offers, but that number will undoubtedly rise, as could his 3-star rating.

***
OT Steven Moore had an excellent performance that netted him a UCLA offer. Despite standing at 6-foot-7, that has good lateral movement and great athleticism. He’s still a little raw but he should continue to improve and his stock will rise surely. We’ll have an interview with him later.

***
One of the more unknown players to have a great performance was DE Kache Palacio from Serra. He will probably project more as a linebacker in college but he showed a knack for pass rushing during the drills. He used his speed to blow by most linemen but he also didn’t shy away from engaging the blockers. He hasn’t received an offer yet but he likely will by the time signing day rolls around.

***
There were several non-participating visitors present, including OG Hiva Lutui, TE Ian Taubler, OT Colby Cyburt, LB Thomas Brown and DT Dwight Melvin.

***
Lutui lives in Texas but he said that he’s originally from Southern California and he’s looking to return; the fact that USC hasn’t offered certainly bodes well for UCLA.

***
Taubler will compete tomorrow at the skills camp and he came down a day early for an unofficial visit.

***
Brown has yet to be offered but he was at the camp almost the entire time and he was getting a lot of attention from the coaches. No official offer yet but it looks like one could be coming in the near future.