Beating the Heat

Well, we're officially in the doldrums of the summer. Spring practice wrapped up over a month ago and we have another month until the start of training camp. If you're like me and you think baseball is something to be endured rather then embraced, then any news from the college football world is a welcome relief. Here are some of the latest tidbits from the last few weeks.

There hasn't been a lot of recent news on the recruiting front. Nelson Rosario, the tall wide out from Oceanside, was rumored to be the next commitment. However, in a recent interview, he said that he hasn't made a decision yet. The Bruins are high on his list, but I guess Rosario is still weighing his options. When asked which way he was leaning, Rosario said it was down to UCLA and Oregon. Staying close to home is a big factor in his decision and his parents are pushing hard for him to attend school in Westwood.

The B2G camp was held last week and the annual event attracts a lot of the big talent from around the country. A number of Bruins commits attended and all seemed to live up to the hype around them. Anthony Dye did well and the corner is looking better and better as the summer progresses. Kemonte Bateman was also at the camp to defend the MVP honors he earned last season. It was reported that he looked good in the 7 on 7 drills, catching a nice TD pass in between defenders.

UCLA also held their 3-day camp at the end of June. They had a number of recruits show up, including Joe Montana's kids. Nick Montana, who is the younger brother, is a sophomore this year. He was, by all accounts, the better of the two siblings and I'm sure he'll garner some attention from the Bruin coaching staff when he gets closer to graduating.

One of the benefits of getting so many commitments early for the 2008 class is that the coaches can start pursuing the top prospects for the following class. The Bruins gave out their first offers for the 2009 class. One went to Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley and the other went to Hawaiian tail back Manti Te'0. Karl Dorrell and running back coach Dino Barbers went to Hawaii back in May and Te'o was one of the top players the coaches have decided to target.

Summer workouts began 2 weeks ago and, while voluntary, the whole team is pretty much "required" to show up for them. Terrance Austin has apparently made the most of his off-season and the sophomore wide out has gained 10 lbs of muscle and trimmed his body fat. The skills players have also been working on digesting the new play book and it was reported that Ben Olson has looked more mature, has improved his decision making, and taken on more of a leadership role. The 24 year old red-shirt junior is definitely looking to make the most of his anointment as the starting quarterback.