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….

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
Continue reading →

Patrick Cantlay shot a 1-under 70 and is 13 shots behind leader Rory McIlroy. Cantlay has a one-shot lead over Georgia’s Russell Henley in the race to become the U.S. Open low amateur.

Patrick Cantlay holed out from the sandtrap on NO. 15 for another birdie. He’s at 2-under and tied for 12th. He could finish the day in the top-10. Not bad for an amateur.

Even though many reporters couldn’t believe it, Patrick Cantlay re-iterated his decision to stay in school, not just next year, but all four years until he earn’s a degree. Funny how reporters at the U.S. Open couldn’t believe it. He was asked four different ways if he was staying and why he would. Golf is not a contact sport (except for the part of the ball hitting the face of the club). Sure, he could get injured, but staying at school, playing Riviera and Bel-Air and earning a degree before he hits the PGA Tour is a good idea. Why is that so hard for people to accept? This isn’t the NBA, where you’re guaranteed money. You dont’ make a cut, you don’t make money that week on the PGA Tour.

Patrick Cantlay will tee off in a pairing with John Senden at 11:40 p.m. Pacific. Brandt Jobe will be in the group behind him, ten minutes later. Rory McIlroy and Y.E. Yang don’t tee off until 3:50 p.m. and with yesterday’s rain delay and forecast of 40 percent chance of rain this afternoon, well, you see the potential problems.

What’s in a name for UCLA freshman Patrick Cantlay? Here’s my column on Cantlay’s sizzling dayat Congressional yesterday, which has him tied for 15th. Players are on the course this morning, finishing up round 2. Should be interesting to see which T15 group Cantlay will play in today.

Patrick Cantlay’s 30 on the back nine is the best performance over those nine holes so far in the tournament. Not even Rory McIlroy, who is leading the field by seven shots, has done that well on the back.

Kevin Chappell, the ex-UCLA star, also shot a 4-under 67 today and is 1-over for the tournament, and is tied for 25th. Might be more than just the one UCLA polo and I saw today.

Patrick Cantlay has met Jack Nicklaus, won four college tournaments and the collegiate player of the year via the Jack Nicklaus Award. But nothing can compare to shooting a 4-under 67 and seeing his name in the top-20 of a major. And he’s just a 19-year-old college freshman.
Asked what he’s learned at Congressional this week, “just that I can compete and my game is good enough to play the course.”

Patrick Cantlay could be known as the low amateur at the U.S. Open in a couple of days, and that’s quite a distinction. He had the back nine buzzing at Congressional as he posted an impressive 4-under 67. The only player to shoot lower than that, so far today, is Rory McIlroy, who’s leading the event.
It was an incredible day for Cantlay. I’ll have more uddates soon, but as of now, he’s tied for 17th.