Who is Chris Meadows?

The Bruins have been participating in 7-on-7 practices for about a week and one player in particular has been generating some buzz. His name is Chris Meadows and he's been turning some heads this summer. If you're scratching your head and wondering, "Who is Chris Meadows?", well you aren't alone. I did the same thing. So who is this guy and what can he bring to the team this season? Here's the low down...

First some numbers. Chris measures in at 5'11" with a forty time of 4.5 sec. Apparently the kid has some hops with a 40" vertical and a natural athletic ability. He was listed on the official UCLA roster as a defensive back, but it looks like Mr. Meadows will be playing some wide receiver this season.

Meadows played his prep ball in Redondo Beach where he spent time at pretty much every position (QB, RB, DB, and WR). He was the Ocean League MVP as a junior and an all conference guy his senior season. He's been blessed with a ton of natural talent and he has superior body control. Here's a video of Chris making an amazing, 360-degree, leaping interception in the pouring rain. Meadows had 1,500 all-purpose yards of offense and 80 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense his senior season for Redondo.

He visited UCLA but an offer never came from the coaching staff. He eventually picked Idaho over scholarship offers from Montana and Sacramento State. It looks like Chris really wanted to play for the Bruins, so he transfered from Idaho and spent the 2005 season at West Los Angeles Junior College. He played wide out for the Hustling Oilers where he had 36 receptions for 680 yards and 6 touchdowns. After one year at the juco level, he walked on to the team and he'll be looking to make a similar impact for the Bruin receiving crops this year.

DEJA (aka DeaconBlue) stated in his practice report that Meadows has been juking defensive backs and making circus catches in the 7-on-7 games. If he can bring that kind of play making ability to the team during the season then he'll definitely find a spot in the regular rotation. The UCLA receivers were criticized last year for not having anyone step up and make the big plays last season. Maybe Meadows can give this team the spark they have been missing. So keep an eye out for #30 in the blue and gold this year.