As UCLA took the field for the beginning of the spring season last week, two players in particular stood out – because they weren’t originally supposed to be there.
Defensive lineman Kylie Fitts and wide receiver Eldridge Massington never planned on becoming Bruins. Both were committed to USC before a fallout over scholarships that weren’t available in spring. After being told they would have to wait until the fall to enroll, both promptly de-committed to Lane Kiffin and the Trojans and were swayed across town by UCLA head coach Jim Mora.
The two will be joined this fall by a banner class ranked as the top in the Pac-12 and one of the best in the nation, and coach Mora says all of them are in the mix for early playing time.
“We’re not going to put limitations on anybody, we’re not afraid to play young guys,” Mora said. “We’re going to play the best guys, the guys that give us the best chance to win and fit in to what we want to do and the way we want it done.”
For Fitts, a local product out of Redlands East Valley High, it was no secret that he had dreams of becoming a Trojan. But just days before he was to enroll at USC for the spring semester, he was informed that he would not have a scholarship until next fall. The four-star recruit who was one of the most sought after in the nation saw his story widely chronicled by the national media as his high school coach Kurt Bruich went on the defensive against the Trojans, accusing the program of lying.
"The trust has been lost," Bruich said. "He did everything they asked of him.
Fitts’ story has a happy ending in Westwood, but it hasn’t been easy. Fitts wasn’t able to enroll until last week and played in his first practice and attended his first classes in one overwhelming day.
“It’s been tough but everyone has been nice and keeping me comfortable,” Fitts said. “Practice and then classes and everything and then trying to eat and stuff and then coming home late at night I get a little homesick. But I would like talk to one of the players or my mentors and they helped me through it.”
A dedicated student of the game and in the classroom, the strong support he received at UCLA changed helped the San Bernardino native through his transition from Trojan to Bruin.
“I have a lot of UCLA academic support, I’m having tutors every day and mentor meetings and they’ve helped me through everything,” Fitts said. “This week I’ve been busy, I’ve been waking up at 5:00 and coming back at 7:30 so I haven’t been able to talk to anyone in the dorms but I’ve been getting to know the people around campus such as the church groups.”
On the field, Fitts is still making adjustments to the pace of the game and says the size and speed of the offensive line was difficult to handle in his first few days. But he’s stood out to his coaches for his play on the field and his dedication off of it.
Massington has yet to truly feel the speed of the Division I game yet. Still rehabbing an ACL tear from last summer, he’s wearing a red jersey through spring ball. Oddly enough, it was that same knee injury that brought the Mesquite, Texas, native to UCLA.
Massington wanted the best available treatment for his knee and factored in the sports medicine staffs of each school when making his decision.
“I’m happy that I’m able to start running routes and stuff but it’s just a process getting it back to 100 percent,” Massington said. “I’m excited, I’m thankful to be back out here. I haven’t touched a football field in over a year so I’m kind of hungry.”
The de-commitment of Massington, a two-sport athlete who will run track for the Bruins next spring, was thought to be a big blow for USC. Massington’s size and speed and ability to catch deep passes were thought to be a perfect fit for the Trojans’ pro-style offense that is now without All-American Robert Woods.
