With UCLA well over the scholarship limit of 85 players, transfers are in the works. It looks like the following four players are likely to transfer this Spring:
Chris Forcier (QB)
Raymond Carter (RB)
Aundre Dean (RB)
Dominique Johnson (WR)
Of the four, Johnson was the most surprising for me. I thought he had some great moments and made some amazing catches in the blue and gold. His biggest highlight was that amazing one-handed TD pass against USC in 2007. His commitment and work ethic were questioned a lot last year and during the Dorrell era. The coaches probably wanted to give his reps to some of the new players like Presley and Carroll. What's strange is that his number of receptions went up from his first year, so he was playing more last season.
The other guys kind of make sense. Carter and Dean are stuck in the log jam at running back. Especially for Carter, because he has a number of freshman ahead of him on the depth chart. Likewise, Forcier was never going to see the field at QB. His switch to wide receiver this spring didn't seem to be something he was happy about.
Showing posts with label Aundre Dean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aundre Dean. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Second Scrimmage of the Spring
So I finally got out to Spaulding field today. I was standing in the south parking lot with a number of other Bruin fans and we had a front-and-center view of the action. It was a tough evening for the offense and probably our best lineman went down with injury. A sign of things to come or merely growing pains for a young team? I sure hope it is the later.
I saw Kevin Prince for the first time tonight and came away impressed. During the warm-ups and 7-7's he definitely had the most "zip" to his passes. His passes got to the receiver fast, were accurate, and he has the best throwing motion of all the guys out there. He can throw the ball down field too as his arm strength is better than any UCLA quarterback in recent memory.
Brehaut looks like he has a lot of potential as well. He isn't as polished as Prince, but I think he can scramble better and is a bit more athletic. He was mainly running with the second team during the scrimmage so it is hard to judge how well he would preform against a tougher defense. But I liked the way he played and he's a real competitor.
Kevin Craft had a tough day. After Prince and Breahaut took the first two series, Craft was given a chance to run the offense. His first throw was picked off. This of course elicited a round of groans from us fans standing on the parking structure. He was immediately yanked from the field but got back out there later in the scrimmage. Right away, his second pass was almost picked off and would have been intercepted if the defender had hung onto the ball. I think Kevin pretty much confirmed that he won't be seeing the field this season.
The passing game was not good today. Not good at all. There were three or four balls batted down. Receivers were dropping passes. The quarterbacks, as a group, were really struggling. Prince, who looked really sharp in the warm-ups and 7-7's, ended up throwing two late interceptions. The pass protection was poor and that surely didn't help. I counted at least 5 sacks.
On the other side was the running game. Which I thought was pretty good. What really impressed me was the three freshman: Knox, Dean, and Franklin.
Franklin, who got reps with the 1st and 2nd string offense, is a quick dude. He cranked out a couple of really nice runs and he looked explosive getting through the holes. He really fights hard for those extra yards and I like him a lot. I think he could see some significant minutes this season.
Dean really showed some of that raw talent that intrigued us fans during his recruitment. He was a tough runner tonight as he bulldozed his way through the line. He carried the team forward during one of his series and punched the ball into the end zone for touch down. It was good to see him get some success on the field.
I finally got to see Knox play in a UCLA uniform. Man, it is hard not to think of Mo Drew when you see him. He looks so much like him. He even runs like Maurice, and he pin-balled out of a pile on one play and bounced it to the outside for a gain instead of a loss. He was tough to bring down, all be it with the 3rd string defense, and he had probably the flashiest runs of the day.
The receivers didn't have too many great plays tonight. Seeing Presely for the first time was fun. That guy is skinny as a rake but you can see that he has huge upside. He was running with the 1st string for much of the practice and had some nice receptions during the 7-on7's. Chris Forcier got out there a bit and even caught a TD pass from Craft; he made a nice move and juked the defender out of his socks. He has great speed and it would be great to see him out on the field in some way. The players must feel the same way as everyone went out of their way to congratulate him after the TD reception.
I have to say I didn't focus much on the defense. They played well, as you would expect. One interesting thing was Andrew Abbott(#26) ended up getting two late interceptions on Prince. I had to go look him up because I didn't recognize his number. He played well today as I think he broke up at least one other play. Maybe he'll see the field this season?
Another interesting play was on a run by Knox. He ran into a pile, bounced around, and ran back a few yards and to his left. He had nothing but open field in the flat and some blockers to guide the way. Knox is a fast dude and I thought for sure he was going to take it to the house. But he was caught from behind, after just a few yards, by Courtney Viney. It was a really nice defensive play.
The biggest news of the day was Kai Maiava getting injured. He went down on a run near the end of the scrimmage. He was in a lot of pain and the trainers came out to check on him. He sat on the ground for a long time, grimacing. He was helped off the field and didn't put any weight on his left foot. It looked like an ankle sprain. Not good.
So, all in all, it was a fun time out at Spaulding. The running game looked better than I expected but I left disappointed about how the quarterbacks played. I'm sure it is a combination of a lot of things, including the defense being familiar with our play book, but this offense still has a long ways to go before the start of the season.
Can't wait for the spring game next Saturday!
I saw Kevin Prince for the first time tonight and came away impressed. During the warm-ups and 7-7's he definitely had the most "zip" to his passes. His passes got to the receiver fast, were accurate, and he has the best throwing motion of all the guys out there. He can throw the ball down field too as his arm strength is better than any UCLA quarterback in recent memory.
Brehaut looks like he has a lot of potential as well. He isn't as polished as Prince, but I think he can scramble better and is a bit more athletic. He was mainly running with the second team during the scrimmage so it is hard to judge how well he would preform against a tougher defense. But I liked the way he played and he's a real competitor.
Kevin Craft had a tough day. After Prince and Breahaut took the first two series, Craft was given a chance to run the offense. His first throw was picked off. This of course elicited a round of groans from us fans standing on the parking structure. He was immediately yanked from the field but got back out there later in the scrimmage. Right away, his second pass was almost picked off and would have been intercepted if the defender had hung onto the ball. I think Kevin pretty much confirmed that he won't be seeing the field this season.
The passing game was not good today. Not good at all. There were three or four balls batted down. Receivers were dropping passes. The quarterbacks, as a group, were really struggling. Prince, who looked really sharp in the warm-ups and 7-7's, ended up throwing two late interceptions. The pass protection was poor and that surely didn't help. I counted at least 5 sacks.
On the other side was the running game. Which I thought was pretty good. What really impressed me was the three freshman: Knox, Dean, and Franklin.
Franklin, who got reps with the 1st and 2nd string offense, is a quick dude. He cranked out a couple of really nice runs and he looked explosive getting through the holes. He really fights hard for those extra yards and I like him a lot. I think he could see some significant minutes this season.
Dean really showed some of that raw talent that intrigued us fans during his recruitment. He was a tough runner tonight as he bulldozed his way through the line. He carried the team forward during one of his series and punched the ball into the end zone for touch down. It was good to see him get some success on the field.
I finally got to see Knox play in a UCLA uniform. Man, it is hard not to think of Mo Drew when you see him. He looks so much like him. He even runs like Maurice, and he pin-balled out of a pile on one play and bounced it to the outside for a gain instead of a loss. He was tough to bring down, all be it with the 3rd string defense, and he had probably the flashiest runs of the day.
The receivers didn't have too many great plays tonight. Seeing Presely for the first time was fun. That guy is skinny as a rake but you can see that he has huge upside. He was running with the 1st string for much of the practice and had some nice receptions during the 7-on7's. Chris Forcier got out there a bit and even caught a TD pass from Craft; he made a nice move and juked the defender out of his socks. He has great speed and it would be great to see him out on the field in some way. The players must feel the same way as everyone went out of their way to congratulate him after the TD reception.
I have to say I didn't focus much on the defense. They played well, as you would expect. One interesting thing was Andrew Abbott(#26) ended up getting two late interceptions on Prince. I had to go look him up because I didn't recognize his number. He played well today as I think he broke up at least one other play. Maybe he'll see the field this season?
Another interesting play was on a run by Knox. He ran into a pile, bounced around, and ran back a few yards and to his left. He had nothing but open field in the flat and some blockers to guide the way. Knox is a fast dude and I thought for sure he was going to take it to the house. But he was caught from behind, after just a few yards, by Courtney Viney. It was a really nice defensive play.
The biggest news of the day was Kai Maiava getting injured. He went down on a run near the end of the scrimmage. He was in a lot of pain and the trainers came out to check on him. He sat on the ground for a long time, grimacing. He was helped off the field and didn't put any weight on his left foot. It looked like an ankle sprain. Not good.
So, all in all, it was a fun time out at Spaulding. The running game looked better than I expected but I left disappointed about how the quarterbacks played. I'm sure it is a combination of a lot of things, including the defense being familiar with our play book, but this offense still has a long ways to go before the start of the season.
Can't wait for the spring game next Saturday!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Year of the Freshman
There was a lot of hype around UCLA's last two recruiting classes. Both the '07 and '08 classes were chalked full of four and sometimes five star talent. This season, we should see many of those players, both red-shirt freshman and true freshman, taking the field. The early reports out of the fall camp point to this being the year of the freshman.
When Aundre Dean and Rahim Moore committed to UCLA, they were considered the crown jewels in an already rich recruiting class. Coach Neuheisel obviously saw their talent early on and he has both players taking lots of reps in practice. In particular, Moore looks like he could have the inside track on the strong safety position. According to Brian Dohn:
Behind Dean is a whole host of other new backs. Raymond Carter, Derrick Coleman, Johnathan Franklin, and Milton Knox will also put on pads for the first time and fight for minutes as well. I don't see Franklin or Knox playing a whole lot this year, barring injuries ahead of them in the depth chart, but having them red shirt will be good for the program in the long run.
The other new recruits are showing some sparks on offense as well. Receiver Nelson Rosario made a spectacular finger tip catch at the end of Thursday's practice. He beat out fellow freshman Anthony Dye who has been working a lot with the two sets of practices coach Neuheisel was running the first few days of camp.
On the defensive line, Dantone Jones impressed PE beat writer Kevin Pearson with his size and strength:
It's easy to get excited about the new faces, but we also have to take some of these reports with a grain of salt. With the lack of success over the last few seasons, it is natural for us fans to latch onto any new player who is full of talent and promise. All of these kids could turn out to be outstanding players for UCLA, but each one has a long way to go in their careers. They'll make mistakes, drop balls, get burned in coverage, and miss a tackle or two, or ten. They are still young and they still need to develop both physically and mentally. The college game is much faster paced than in high school and the PAC-10 if chocked full of future NFL talent. It won't be an easy season for them, but it does give you a warm fuzzy feeling that the future of UCLA football looks bright.
When Aundre Dean and Rahim Moore committed to UCLA, they were considered the crown jewels in an already rich recruiting class. Coach Neuheisel obviously saw their talent early on and he has both players taking lots of reps in practice. In particular, Moore looks like he could have the inside track on the strong safety position. According to Brian Dohn:
Moore said he was not having trouble picking up the basic defenses UCLA is running. "I'm not lost,'' Moore said. "I'm actually coming along pretty good. I'm in my learning process right now where every day I'm still learning. I've been running with the 1s, and the pace has been fast, but I'm used to it since the summer.''Dean likely won't unseat Kalil Bell as the starting tail back, but he'll probably see a lot of playing time anyways. Dean has the physical stature well beyond his years and he doesn't look like a true freshman. The guy is big and strong and he'll be a powerful running back. The sooner Dean learns the offense, the better, and I can see him developing into a significant contributer for the Bruins this year.
Behind Dean is a whole host of other new backs. Raymond Carter, Derrick Coleman, Johnathan Franklin, and Milton Knox will also put on pads for the first time and fight for minutes as well. I don't see Franklin or Knox playing a whole lot this year, barring injuries ahead of them in the depth chart, but having them red shirt will be good for the program in the long run.
The other new recruits are showing some sparks on offense as well. Receiver Nelson Rosario made a spectacular finger tip catch at the end of Thursday's practice. He beat out fellow freshman Anthony Dye who has been working a lot with the two sets of practices coach Neuheisel was running the first few days of camp.
On the defensive line, Dantone Jones impressed PE beat writer Kevin Pearson with his size and strength:
Jones is currently listed as a defensive end, but he could morph into a tackle as he continues to grow and develop. I can easily see him getting into the two deep at end this season and pushing Bosworth. Senior corner back Michael Norris is also going to get a lot of pressure from red-shirt freshman Courtney Viney, who was impressive in the spring game, and true freshman Aaron Hester. The secondary is pretty thin to begin with so the more guys we can get into the mix the better.Among the more physically impressive freshmen is defensive end Datone Jones, who checks in at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. Jones, a Compton High grad, looks like he has tree trunks for legs and just looks different than most freshmen tend to look.
"He has an NFL body," defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "He'll be a great Bruin here. I look forward to watching him and seeing what he can do."
It's easy to get excited about the new faces, but we also have to take some of these reports with a grain of salt. With the lack of success over the last few seasons, it is natural for us fans to latch onto any new player who is full of talent and promise. All of these kids could turn out to be outstanding players for UCLA, but each one has a long way to go in their careers. They'll make mistakes, drop balls, get burned in coverage, and miss a tackle or two, or ten. They are still young and they still need to develop both physically and mentally. The college game is much faster paced than in high school and the PAC-10 if chocked full of future NFL talent. It won't be an easy season for them, but it does give you a warm fuzzy feeling that the future of UCLA football looks bright.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Lean Mean Dean Machine
Aundre Dean confirmed all the rumors this week by re-committing to UCLA on Thursday night. Dean will always have a special distinction on Bruin Roar because the very first post on this blog was about his original verbal commitment to former coach Dorrell. This comes on the heals of Dean be named to the Parade All American team.
In other recruiting news: Hammani Stevens is leaning toward UCLA again. Stevens had committed to UCLA back in the summer but he quickly backed away from that after one day. He would be a great addition to the team because offensive line is a position of considerable need. Another former commit, Uona Kaveinga is also rumored to be back in talks with UCLA. He changed his commitment to BYU recently, but the high profile linebacker is looking to maybe change that back to the blue and gold.
There is only a few more days until letters of intent (LOI) are signed. The coaching staff has been pushing hard to shore up this class while still seeking out other high profile players. It remains to be seen if any last minute surprises will happen on February 6th, but if anyone can pull a rabit out of his hat, it is Rick Neuheisel.
In other recruiting news: Hammani Stevens is leaning toward UCLA again. Stevens had committed to UCLA back in the summer but he quickly backed away from that after one day. He would be a great addition to the team because offensive line is a position of considerable need. Another former commit, Uona Kaveinga is also rumored to be back in talks with UCLA. He changed his commitment to BYU recently, but the high profile linebacker is looking to maybe change that back to the blue and gold.
There is only a few more days until letters of intent (LOI) are signed. The coaching staff has been pushing hard to shore up this class while still seeking out other high profile players. It remains to be seen if any last minute surprises will happen on February 6th, but if anyone can pull a rabit out of his hat, it is Rick Neuheisel.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Parade All Americans
The official list comes out this Sunday, but a few UCLA commits (well... possible commits) are going to get the honor. Parade magazine names 58 kids to their All American list and it is one of the oldest and most distinguished awards given to high school football players.
Milton Knox added the Parade distinction to the long list of honors he has received this off season. He was also named City Section player of the year after setting the all-time leading rusher and scorer marks as a senior. Knox is taking a trip to Notre Dame this weekend and his final decision on where he will be play should come very soon.
Aundre Dean was given the honor for an outstanding season at Katy High School in Texas. He helped lead his team to their 5th straight state championship this past season. Dean racked up nearly 2500 yards and scored 26 touchdowns for the Tigers. Dean still has UCLA high on his list but hasn't made his commitment 100% official.
If both end up at UCLA, which I think they will, then the Bruins will have a very dynamic running back duo for the next four years.
Milton Knox added the Parade distinction to the long list of honors he has received this off season. He was also named City Section player of the year after setting the all-time leading rusher and scorer marks as a senior. Knox is taking a trip to Notre Dame this weekend and his final decision on where he will be play should come very soon.
Aundre Dean was given the honor for an outstanding season at Katy High School in Texas. He helped lead his team to their 5th straight state championship this past season. Dean racked up nearly 2500 yards and scored 26 touchdowns for the Tigers. Dean still has UCLA high on his list but hasn't made his commitment 100% official.
If both end up at UCLA, which I think they will, then the Bruins will have a very dynamic running back duo for the next four years.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Under Armour All-American Game
Another high profile All Star game with Bruin recruits is the Under Armour All-American Game. This is the first year of the game and it will be played in Orlando. The game will be played this Saturday, January 5 at 11 AM Pacific Time and it will be televised on ABC.EJ Woods (S), Nick Crissman (QB), Anthony Dye (DB), Uona Kaveinga (LB), and Jeff Locke (P) are all playing in the game. A former Bruin commit, Aundre Dean (RB), will also be attending. I'm sure these Bruin committed players will be pushing hard for Dean to rejoin them in Westwood. Especially with Rick Neuheisel now officially the head coach.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Big Recruiting Weekend
Today kicked off UCLA's big recruiting weekend. The program is hosting 18 of the 21 committed players on their "official" visits. They took in the practice today and will get a chance to talk with interim head coach Walker and the position coaches. The three players who won't be there are Milton Knox, Corey Harkey, and E.J. Woods.
Knox is off on a recruiting trip to Florida. Like most of the other Bruin commits for 2008, he is being heavily recruited since Karl Dorrell was fired. Knox has been to Westwood a number of times for unofficial visits, so his absence this weekend isn't something to panic about. But as the cloud of uncertainty hangs over the program, without a permanent head coach, it is hard to be sure if any of the recruits are 100% solid.
Harkey is playing basketball and couldn't attend. Woods went on a trip to Colorado. He said he plans to visit UCLA after a new coach is named.
Aundre Dean looks like he is not going to UCLA next year. All of the recruiting services removed him as a commit and his interest in the program is low. He may not take an official visit and the uncertainty of the coaching staff for next season has him looking elsewhere. The rest of the recruiting class has formed a bond, since they are all from Southern California, but Dean is the sole out-of-state player. I'm not holding my breath on him wearing the blue and gold next season.
For those attending, it will be an important weekend. Most of the players are taking a wait-and-see approach to their decision. If Walker is retained (even as the defensive coordinator) then I think the vast majority of this class will stick. If an exciting head coach is brought in, then it should keep them around. However if Walker is let go, then all bets are off. A number of schools, like Arizona State, having been pushing hard for these kids and I think a fair number would go elsewhere.
I'm sure DeWayne and the rest of the staff have quite a task ahead of them. It would have been easier if a head coach were in place already, but not much can be done about that now. I'm glad Guerrero is taking his time and interviewing a number of candidates. This is an important decision that will impact UCLA football for the next 5 to 10 years. No need to hurry up and rush it.
Knox is off on a recruiting trip to Florida. Like most of the other Bruin commits for 2008, he is being heavily recruited since Karl Dorrell was fired. Knox has been to Westwood a number of times for unofficial visits, so his absence this weekend isn't something to panic about. But as the cloud of uncertainty hangs over the program, without a permanent head coach, it is hard to be sure if any of the recruits are 100% solid.
Harkey is playing basketball and couldn't attend. Woods went on a trip to Colorado. He said he plans to visit UCLA after a new coach is named.
Aundre Dean looks like he is not going to UCLA next year. All of the recruiting services removed him as a commit and his interest in the program is low. He may not take an official visit and the uncertainty of the coaching staff for next season has him looking elsewhere. The rest of the recruiting class has formed a bond, since they are all from Southern California, but Dean is the sole out-of-state player. I'm not holding my breath on him wearing the blue and gold next season.
For those attending, it will be an important weekend. Most of the players are taking a wait-and-see approach to their decision. If Walker is retained (even as the defensive coordinator) then I think the vast majority of this class will stick. If an exciting head coach is brought in, then it should keep them around. However if Walker is let go, then all bets are off. A number of schools, like Arizona State, having been pushing hard for these kids and I think a fair number would go elsewhere.
I'm sure DeWayne and the rest of the staff have quite a task ahead of them. It would have been easier if a head coach were in place already, but not much can be done about that now. I'm glad Guerrero is taking his time and interviewing a number of candidates. This is an important decision that will impact UCLA football for the next 5 to 10 years. No need to hurry up and rush it.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Dean Decomit
It looks like some of the blue chip players committed to UCLA in the 2008 class are starting to change their minds. The first lose is Andre Dean. The uncertainty at head coach (or maybe I should say the growing certainty that Dorrell won't be the head coach) is the cause. Tough loss for the Bruins because Dean looked like a real play maker at running back. It looks like he will return to his first commitment which was Texas A&M.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Aundre Dean commits to Bruins.
Katy High School running back Aundre Dean committed to the Bruins yesterday. Dean originally had given a verbal commitment to Texas A&M but an unofficial visit to Westwood changed this mind. He's now saying he'll be a Bruin and he looks like a great pick-up for the staff.Dean racked up 2,100 yards and scored 27 TDs as a junior. He was first-team all-district and all-greater Houston and an all-state honorable mention. Sometimes a recruit's numbers are inflated by playing against weaker competition, but Dean plays in Texas football's toughest division, 5A.
He stand at 6'1" and weights 200 lbs. Scout reports that he runs a 4.5 in the 40. Those numbers are very similar to another running back that graced the Rose Bowl turf for the Bruins, DeShaun Foster. He also runs a lot like Foster, with the speed to burn you and the power to knock you right over. Here are two videos of Dean in action:
Junior Highlight Reel
Another Highlight Reel
In an interview with Scout, Dean said, “Honestly, the reason I picked UCLA was mainly the coaching staff. In between the time from when I de-committed from A&M, they didn’t pressure. ... They knew that when I went up there for the maroon and white game it might have brought me closer to them. But it actually brought me closer to UCLA.”
UCLA doesn't usually get kids out of Texas, so it will be interesting to hear about how this kid ended up in Westwood. He looks like a great commitment and another addition to an already excellent 2008 recruiting class.
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