Courtesy of UCLA Athletics
LOS ANGELES - Twenty-two outstanding high school seniors have signed letters-of-intent or grant-in-aids to play football at UCLA, Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisel announced today.
"Today we signed another fine recruiting class and I am excited about our future," said Neuheisel. "I think we addressed several of our needs, especially on the defensive line, and added depth at several positions. I also feel we again upgraded our speed. Our staff worked extremely hard to identify, recruit and sign a class that we expect will enjoy great success as Bruins, both on and off the field. When you add this group to the young men we have recruited over the last two years, it gives us a great foundation for the future."
Thirteen of the new Bruins earned All-America honors from one publication or another. Running back Malcolm Jones, defensive lineman Owamagbe Odighizuwa, place kicker Kip Smith and offensive lineman Chris Ward earned Parade All-America honors. Smith was also a USA Today first-team All-American while Jones and Odighizuwa were second-team selections.
Seven were selected to the PrepStar Dream Team (athlete Anthony Barr, running back Jordon James, Jones, defensive lineman Cassius Marsh, Odighizuwa, defensive back Dietrich Riley and Ward) and four more were named to the PrepStar All-America squad (defensive back Anthony Jefferson, wide receiver Paul Richardson, athlete Josh Shirley and Smith). Eleven were named All-Region - defensive lineman Derrick Bryant, defensive lineman Sealii Epenesa, defensive lineman Wesley Flowers, offensive lineman Kody Innes, linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive back Tevin McDonald, linebacker Aramide Olaniyan, defensive back Shaquille Richardson, offensive lineman Wade Yandall, tight end John Young and linebacker Jordan Zumwalt).
Eleven were named SuperPrep All-Americans - Barr, Innes, James, Jefferson, Jones, Marsh, Odighizuwa, Olaniyan, P. Richardson, Riley and Shirley. Ten more were named All-Region - Bryant, Epenesa, Flowers, McDonald, S. Richardson, Smith, Ward, Yandall, Young and Zumwalt. Eight were named to the Tom Lemming All-America team - Barr, James, Jefferson, Jones, Marsh, Odighizuwa, Riley and Shirley.
Nine new Bruins were named to the Rivals.com Top 250 - Barr, James, Jefferson, Jones, Marsh, Odighizuwa, Riley, Shirley and Zumwalt - and 12 were named to the Scout.com Top 300 - Barr, James, Jefferson, Jones, Marsh, McDonald, Odighizuwa, Olaniyan, P. Richardson, Shirley, Ward and Zumwalt.
Seventeen of the signees were ranked among the Top 100 players in California by Scout.com and 13 among the Top 100 players in California by Rivals.com.
Fifteen were selected to the Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 - Barr, Innes, James, Jefferson, Jones, Marsh, McDonald, Odighizuwa, P. Richardson, S. Richardson, Riley, Shirley, Smith, Ward and Zumwalt and four made the Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team - James, Jones, Odighizuwa and Riley.
SIGNEES
Name Pos. High School Ht. Wt. Hometown
Anthony Barr ATH Loyola 6-4 225 Los Angeles, CA
Derrick Bryant DL Brookhaven 6-5 240 Columbus, OH
Sealii Epenesa DL Iolani 6-2 300 Honolulu, HI
Wesley Flowers DL Edison 6-5 253 Fresno, CA
Kody Innes OL Saguaro 6-5 273 Scottsdale, AZ
Jordon James RB Corona 5-10 190 Corona, CA
Anthony Jefferson DB Cathedral 6-2 180 Los Angeles, CA
Malcolm Jones RB Oaks Christian 6-1 220 Westlake Vilage, CA
Eric Kendricks LB Hoover 6-1 213 Fresno, CA
Cassius Marsh DL Oaks Christian 6-4 270 Westlake Village, CA
Tevin McDonald DB Edison 5-11 180 Fresno, CA
Owamagbe Odighizuwa DL Douglas 6-4 240 Portland, OR
Aramide Olaniyan LB Woodberry Forest 6-2 200 Woodberry Forest, VA
Paul Richardson WR Serra 6-1 175 Gardena, CA
Shaquille Richardson DB Los Alamitos 6-0 175 Los Alamitos, CA
Dietrich Riley ATH St. Francis 6-1 195 La Cañada, CA
Josh Shirley ATH Kaiser 6-3 220 Fontana, CA
Kip Smith K Legacy 6-1 205 Broomfield, CO
Chris Ward OL Mater Dei 6-5 300 Santa Ana, CA
Wade Yandall OL Carson 6-4 300 Carson, CA
John Young TE Loyola 6-4 250 Los Angeles, CA
Jordan Zumwalt LB Edison 6-4 217 Huntington Beach, CA