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UCLA football loses Stan Hasiak to academic ineligibility, Josh Shirley to Washington

Sophomore offensive guard Stanley Hasiak (right) lines up next to quarterback Kevin Prince in UCLA’s victory over Tennessee on Sept. 12, 2009.

By Eli Smukler

July 25, 2010 9:56 p.m.

UCLA sophomore guard Stanley Hasiak has been ruled ineligible for the Bruins’ 2010 campaign after failing to meet NCAA academic requirements.

Despite the setback, Hasiak will play the 2010 season with the scout team. If Hasiak is reinstated, he may use the 2010 season as a redshirt year and retain three years of eligibility.

Listed at 6-foot-5-inches and 315 pounds, Hasiak had looked to break into an experienced offensive line that includes returning starters like junior Jeff Baca and redshirt senior Eddie Williams at the guard position.

“This is an unfortunate situation for Stanley,” coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement released by the athletic department Thursday.

“I expect Stanley to work hard to ensure this situation does not occur again. We expect him to help us on the scout team this year and work himself into a contributor for 2011.”

It has been a short but rocky collegiate career for Hasiak, who appeared in three games for the Bruins last year before leaving the team with what the school called “personal health issues.”

The sophomore guard was then suspended indefinitely from all team activities on Dec. 21, 2009 for violating team rules and did not travel to Washington, D.C. for UCLA’s EagleBank Bowl victory. On March 16, Neuheisel reinstated Hasiak, allowing him to participate in spring practice.

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward?

The team welcomed junior college transfers Darius Bell and Casey Griffiths to campus this week. Bell arrives as a junior who spent two years as a quarterback at City College of San Francisco. The 6-foot Marin County native is also considered a threat on the ground, amassing 870 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing the ball last year.

This is particularly important to the Bruins after they implemented the “pistol” offense this spring, which provides opportunities to utilize a mobile threat at the quarterback position.

Darius Bell is the younger brother of former UCLA and current NFL running back Kahlil Bell.

Griffiths is an offensive guard who played one season at American River College in Sacramento. The 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound sophomore will look to provide help on the Bruins’ offensive line, especially now that Hasiak’s spot on the depth chart has been vacated.

Bell and Griffiths will compete in fall practices and will be available to play in the upcoming 2010 season, which begins on Sept. 4 at Kansas State.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

After three incoming freshman football players were arrested on suspicion of felony theft on June 23 and subsequently dismissed from the team by Neuheisel, one of them looks to have found a home up north.

Washington announced Thursday that Kaiser High product Josh Shirley would be joining coach Steve Sarkisian’s program after Neuheisel decided to release Shirley and fellow incoming freshmen Shaquille Richardson and Paul Richardson from their binding letters of intent to UCLA. Neuheisel left the door open for the athletes to rejoin the team in winter quarter, but Shirley decided to enroll elsewhere.

“We are very aware of the circumstances surrounding Josh,” Sarkisian said in a statement. “We have done our due diligence and truly feel that this is not indicative of his true character or the way that he was raised. We are excited about the opportunity Josh has to excel on the football field, in the classroom and in his personal life in our environment, around our people at the University of Washington.”

Shirley, who is expected to play linebacker for Washington, was recruited relentlessly by the Huskies before signing with UCLA in February to cap off Neuheisel’s top 10 recruiting class.

Shaquille and Paul Richardson have not yet signed with another program, though Colorado has been identified as a possible destination for the latter.

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