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UCLA coach Deshaun Foster, center, talks on the sidelines during UCLA’s annual pro day. Under Foster, UCLA’s recruiting staff has tripled in size and embraced new strategies for attracting talent. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
For years, Chip Kelly’s assistant coaches sounded a we’ll-get-back-to-you refrain with high school recruits as part of an agonizing, slow-speed pursuit. The staff’s reluctance to pounce on prospects was among the reasons UCLA ranked last in the nation in scholarship offers and built little buzz in recruiting circles, with the results to match.
Scott Taylor was among the last players to feel that hesitation. Though he was told the Bruins were interested in February, the edge rusher from Loyola High was also cautioned that the staff needed to meet before officially extending a scholarship offer.
Later that week, Kelly was gone and so was the indecision about Taylor. Warmth radiated during a visit to the Wasserman Football Center in early March when everyone the prospect encountered made him feel like they wanted him on the team.
“I had never met 99.9% of these guys and they all said, ‘Oh, hey, Scott, how’s it going? Good to see you,’ ” Taylor remembered. “From the first second I set foot on campus, it was a whole different type of love they had for me.”
The new staff gave Taylor a lot more to chew on than a 24-ounce New York strip during his official visit. Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe discussed his vision for using Taylor as a hybrid linebacker-edge rusher. Recruiting bosses Butler Benton and Chris Carter engaged the prospect in lengthy discussions about his potential major, internship opportunities and the best way to accumulate course credits.
When Taylor told assistant coaches he was ready to commit in April, they brought him and his family up to coach DeShaun…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/deshaun-foster-breaking-off-big-110017263.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-07-01 11:00:17
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