Mater Dei OL Chris Murray commits to UCLA

Mater Dei’s Chris Murray chose UCLA over Stanford and Notre Dame. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Mater Dei offensive lineman Chris Murray committed to UCLA on Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The four-star recruit chose the Bruins over Stanford and Notre Dame, saying on the NBC broadcast that he thought his athleticism would lend itself perfectly to head coach Chip Kelly’s system.

Murray is UCLA’s 11th known verbal commit for the class of 2018 and second offensive lineman, joining Etiwanda’s Alec Anderson. Eight players have already signed national letters of intent.

Here is a clip of Murray in a game against Bishop Gorman this year:

Details of Chip Kelly’s five-year contract

New UCLA Head Football Coach Chip Kelly, right, and Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero during a press conference on the UCLA campus at Pauley Pavilion, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

UCLA released the details of Chip Kelly‘s five-year, $23.3 million contract the new head coach signed in November on Friday.

The deal will pay Kelly $3.3 million in the first year with up to $1.085 million available in bonuses and it tops out $4.6 million, due during each of the fourth and fifth years.

Unlike the tiered buyout that former head coach Jim Mora had in his contract, Kelly’s buyout is a flat $9 million reciprocal buyout due if the contract is terminated within the first four years.

More on Kelly’s contract, from the base pay to the bonuses

Adarius Pickett to return for senior season

One day after two of his teammates declared for the NFL draft, redshirt junior Adarius Pickett announced he was not following suit and would instead return to Westwood for his final year of eligibility.

Pickett was UCLA’s second-leading tackler this past season with 85 tackles. His return could give the Bruins three returning starters in the secondary with freshman cornerback Darnay Holmes and junior cornerback Nate Meadors, although Meadors is also eligible for the draft.

More on Pickett’s decision to stay

UCLA links: New coaches, NFL draft declarations

UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) celebrates with teammate with wide receiver Jordan Lasley (2) after a first down catch against the USC Trojans during the first half of an NCAA college football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Chip Kelly is filling out his coaching staff, but he’s losing players as three juniors have already declared for the NFL draft.

The head coach will add Washington State outside linebackers coach Roy Manning and San Francisco 49ers assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase to the UCLA staff, Bruce Feldman reported Wednesday, filling the special teams coordinator and defensive line positions, respectively. The Bruins can hire their 10th full-time assistant starting Jan. 9 to fill their final vacancy (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks). Kelly will also bring back former UCLA quarterback Jerry Neuheisel as a graduate assistant and add former NFL quarterback Thad Lewis as an offensive analyst.

More on UCLA’s newest coaches

Other links:

Jordan Lasley declares for NFL draft

Hours after Josh Rosen declared for the NFL draft, UCLA’s leading receiver joined the quarterback as redshirt junior Jordan Lasley announced his intention to forgo his senior year Wednesday night.

The Gardena Serra grad led the Bruins with 1,264 receiving yards and 69 catches in just nine games, missing four games due to suspensions. His 140.4 receiving yards per game set a UCLA record over a season and would have led the country, but he was not eligible for the national leaderboard because he didn’t play in 75 percent of his team’s games.

More on Lasley’s decision.