Freshman OL Christian Morris to transfer out

Four-star offensive tackle Christian Morris announced his decision to transfer this afternoon. Rated No. 10 at his position by Rivals.com, Morris arrived at UCLA this summer noticeably out of shape. Even after a likely redshirt season, the 6-foot-6 freshman would have faced an uphill battle to earn playing time.

Morris is a Memphis native who picked UCLA over Ole Miss on Signing Day as the third-best recruit in Tennessee.

He told Rivals.com that he felt homesick and wants to be closer to his ill grandmother; he has talked to the Rebels’ compliance department about his options and will apply for a hardship waiver to retain this season of eligibility.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks returns to first full practice since spring


After sitting out most of spring and fall camp, UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks returned to 11-on-11 drills Tuesday morning, the most field action he’s seen in nearly four months.

Last year’s Pac-12 leader with 150 tackles, the 6-foot, 228-pound junior said he underwent ankle surgery four weeks ago. The procedure was optional, but he said he didn’t opt for it because of worsening pain. He just wanted to be fully ready for the season.

“It feels great to be back,” Kendricks said. “To be honest with you, I’ve just been taking it easy. I’ve been in the training room. I got a lot of treatment in San Bernardino.”

He said Tuesday that he had been instructed not to disclose the exact nature of the injury.

“It was just a little bit nagging,” he said. “It was annoying. It just wasn’t normal. I know how my body feels when it’s normal, and it was just a little bit off.” Continue reading “Linebacker Eric Kendricks returns to first full practice since spring” »

Signing Day schedule

Here are some Signing Day announcement times for prospective UCLA commitments.

OL Christian Morris — 9 a.m. PT
LB Isaac Savaiinaea — 9 a.m. PT
QB Asiantii Woulard — 9:30 a.m. PT (ESPNU)
LB Myles Jack — 1 p.m. PT
LB Cameron Judge — 3 p.m. PT (FoxSportsWest)
DT Eddie Vanderdoes — 5 p.m. PT

Morris and Judge might flip to Ole Miss and ASU, respectively, while Vanderdoes is the big fish everyone is chasing. Woulard, Savaiinaea and Jack seem like safe bets for UCLA.

Christian Morris iffy on UCLA commitment

On Dec. 22, four-star offensive tackle Christian Morris tweeted this: “Recruitment is completely shutdown no interest in other colleges strictly with my #Bruins 100% that don’t mean I’m burning my bridges.”

That no longer looks to be the case. At the Army All-American Bowl yesterday, Morris told Rivals that he will take an official visit to Tennessee, and likely Oklahoma as well. He likes the Vols’ hire of Cincinnati’s Butch Jones and plans to visit Knoxville on the weekend of Jan. 11. He added that he is still “97 percent” committed to the Bruins.

Offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has been destroying the recruiting trail in recent months, and Morris was a solid addition — a 6-foot-6, 293-pound tackle that had a shot at playing immediately. Still, teenagers are indecisive and it doesn’t look like panic time yet for UCLA fans.

Watching the Bruins lose 49-26 on ESPN (and on his birthday!) may have prompted Morris’ wavering, but so could family issues. The Memphis native also tweeted that his aunt had been diagnosed with cancer on Christmas.