Recruits’ fence tips in Bruins’ favor

Odighizuwa, Zumwalt and Jefferson, oh my!

From this point forward, every time coach Rick Neuheisel walks into a room he should be accompanied by the tunes of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”

The reason? That particular rock hit is the anthem of New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, widely regarded as the best closer in baseball. His gridiron counterpart now works in Westwood.

Heading into National Signing Day on Wednesday, UCLA’s recruiting class was surrounded with all the uncertainty of a “Lost” season premiere.

Bottom of the eighth, two outs and UCLA’s clinging to a small lead on a variety of recruiting fronts.

Neuheisel delivered in a big way, landing, among others, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Jordan Zumwalt and Anthony Jefferson, each of whom were pretty well secured on the proverbial fence heading into signing day. All of UCLA’s success in recruiting the last few years sets up what will be a make-or-break couple of seasons for the current regime. Now there is no question about whether or not the Bruins boast elite talent, but it’s a matter of the coaching staff being able to deliver positive developmental results.

One of the more intriguing elements of this particular signing day was that it featured the opening salvo in the new Los Angeles rivalry between Neuheisel and new USC coach Lane “What Promotion Will I Take Next Year” Kiffin. Sure, the Trojans landed one of the best prospects in the land in offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, it’s hard for any recruit to turn down that kind of salary, er, scholarship.

But once again, Neuheisel went head-to-head with the USC Machine, and he struck them out looking.

Zumwalt, Jefferson, Dietrich Riley and Josh Shirley were all seriously considering the Trojans at some point before choosing to don the blue and gold.

The key word when it comes to the Bruins’ recruiting crop is playmaker: guys on both sides of the ball that are capable of changing games with their ability. We’re talking sack machines such as Odighizuwa, second-level patrollers such as Zumwalt, Riley and Anthony Barr, and fleet-footed burners on the outside such as Jefferson and Paul Richardson. This isn’t even taking into account the running back position, which becomes the deepest spot on the team and one of the better units around when you consider that elite ball carriers Malcolm Jones and Jordon James will now join returners Johnathan Franklin, Derrick Coleman and Damien Thigpen in a well-stocked backfield.

This team is starting to look better on paper than Joe McKnight’s contract. But as any journalist who has tried his hand at covering high-level college football could probably tell you, there’s a big difference between looking good on paper (see my mug shot) and winning championships.

Now that this critical day has passed, Neuheisel can enjoy and reap the benefits of yet another stellar batch of prospects. While the focus on the field will only intensify in Neuheisel’s third season, it can’t be argued that the coach hasn’t executed tremendously on the recruiting front each year. The closer came through once again. Three up, three down.

If you love typing, saying and reading the name Owamagbe Odighizuwa, e-mail Eshoff at [email protected].