UCLA's new talent

Published Feb. 2, 2011 1:48 p.m. ET

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Sixteen outstanding high school seniors or junior college performers have signed letters-of-intent or grant-in-aids to play football at UCLA, head coach Rick Neuheisel announced Wednesday. That number includes three prep seniors already attending classes and a junior college player who signed his LOI in December and will enroll for Spring Quarter.

Leading the class is quarterback Brett Hundley, rated the nation's No. 3 player at his position by Scout.com and SuperPrep. Hundley enrolled at UCLA in January, along with defensive end Sam Tai and linebacker Aaron Wallace.

"We filled several areas of need with this class, including offensive line and quarterback," said Neuheisel. "We feel this is a quality group of young men, both on and off the field, who will fit well with the classes we have signed the past few years. It's not as large as some of our classes because we did not have a lot of scholarship seniors but we think it has great upside."

Two members of the class - Hundley and wide receiver Devin Lucien - were members of PrepStar's Dream Team. Defensive tackle Kevin McReynolds earned All-America honors from PrepStar while offensive linemen Jacob Brendel, Torian White and Ben Wysocki, running back Steven Manfro, tight end Raymond Nelson, defensive tackle Brandon Tuliaupupu and linebacker Aaron Wallace earned All-Region Acclaim.

Hundley was a member of SuperPrep's `Elite 50' while Lucien and McReynolds were named SuperPrep All-Americans. Nelson, linebacker Mike Orloff, defensive end Sam Tai, Tuliaupupu, Wallace and Wysocki earned All-Area honors from SuperPrep. Linebacker Ryan Hofmeister (No. 88) was ranked on the SuperPrep JUCO 100.

Hundley was a member of the Rivals.com Top 100 while Lucien and McReynolds were members of the Rivals250. Hundley, Lucien and McReynolds earned four stars and Brendel, Nelson, Neuheisel, Orloff, Tuliaupupu, Wallace, White and Wysocki earned three stars.

Hundley was a member of the Scout.com Top 100 while Lucien and McReynolds were in the Scout 300. Hundley earned five stars from Scout.com while Lucien and McReynolds earned four stars and Brendel, Nelson, Tai, Tuliaupupu, Wallace, White and Wysocki earned three stars.

HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEESJacob Brendel
C - 6-5, 265
Plano, TX (East)
Rated the nation's No. 8 center by Scout.com and the No. 15 center by Rivals.com...PrepStar All-Region selection...Ranked No. 46 among offensive guards by ESPN.com...Rated No. 93 player in state of Texas by Rivals.com...Earned three stars from Scout.com, ESPN.com and Rivals.com...

Brett Hundley
QB - 6-4, 210
Chandler, AZ (Chandler)
Dual-threat, multi-faceted quarterback...Member of SuperPrep Elite 50 (No. 22)...SuperPrep All-American (No. 3 quarterback)...SuperPrep Farwest Offensive Player of the Year...Played in UnderArmour All-Star Game, throwing a 58-yard touchdown pass...Rated No. 3 quarterback nationally by Scout.com and SuperPrep...Rated No. 39 national prospect by Scout.com...Member of Rivals100 - No. 72...Rated No. 94 national prospect by Tom Lemming...Ranked No. 6 quarterback and No. 107 among all players by ESPN.com...Rated nation's No. 5 dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com...Earned five stars from Scout.com and four stars from Rivals.com and ESPN.com...First UCLA quarterback recruit to earn five stars...Member of PrepStar Dream Team (No. 123 prospect)...Rated No. 4 player in Arizona by Rivals.com...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...Member of Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in West...As a senior, completed 139 of 225 passes (61.8%) for 2,348 yards, 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions...Also led team in rushing with 856 yards (7.0 average) and nine touchdowns...Named to Scout's 24-7Football.com All-5A1 team...Won the passing competition at the UnderArmour All-American Skills Challenge...As a junior, he completed 107 of 170 attempts (62.9%) for 1,517 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed for 1,208 yards and 12 TDs...Named Arizona's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2009...Enrolled in Winter Quarter...

Devin Lucien
WR - 6-1, 190
Encino, CA (Crespi)
Member of PrepStar Dream Team (No. 97 prospect)...Earned four stars from Scout.com and Rivals.com...SuperPrep All-American...Rated No. 28 receiver nationally by SuperPrep...Ranked No. 28 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 44 by Scout.com...Rated No. 26 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...Rated No. 28 player in California by Rivals.com...Rated No. 190 national prospect by Rivals.com...Rated No. 284 national prospect by Scout.com...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...Rated No. 5 wide receiver in West by Scout.com...GoldenStatePreps.com All-Southern California second team...All-CIF-SS Pac-5 Division...Made 71 receptions for 1,259 yards (17.7 average) and 18 touchdowns as a senior...

Steven Manfro
RB - 5-10, 185
Castaic, CA (Valencia)
PrepStar All-Region selection...MaxPreps Division I All-State first team...GoldenStatePreps.com All-Southern California first team...Earned two stars from Rivals.com...SectionSports.com (Rivals) All-Southern Section first team...All-CIF-SS Northern Division...Named to L.A. Times All-Star team...L.A. Daily News All-Area first team...As a senior, he accounted for 3,788 all-purpose yards and 41 touchdowns, breaking numerous records...Rushed for 2,553 yards (11.3 average) and 30 touchdowns on 226 attempts...Also made 41 receptions for 844 yards (20.6 average) and 10 scores...Also averaged 29.5 yards on 12 kickoff returns...Scored 123 touchdowns during his prep career...

Conor McDermott
OL - 6-8, 245
Nashville, TN (Ensworth)
Good all-around athlete who also plays for his high school basketball team...Blocking tight end who projects as an offensive lineman at UCLA...Helped Ensworth to 10-2 record and State title...Earned two stars from Rivals.com...Brother of UCLA tight end/long snapper Kevin McDermott...

Kevin McReynolds
DT - 6-2, 281
Washington, DC (St. John's College)
Ranked No. 5 defensive tackle by Tom Lemming...Rated No. 22 defensive tackle nationally by Rivals.com, No. 24 by Scout.com and No. 26 by ESPN.com...Ranked No. 2 prospect in Washington DC by Rivals.com...SuperPrep All-American...Rated No. 48 defensive lineman by SuperPrep...PrepStar All-American...Rated No. 7 player in Mid-Atlantic area by SuperPrep...No. 231 prospect nationally by Rivals.com and No. 262 by Scout.com...Earned four stars from Scout.com, ESPN.com and Rivals.com...Played in Under Armour All-American game...Played in just five games as a senior due to high ankle sprain...

Raymond Nelson
TE - 6-5, 238
Modesto, CA (Christian)
Rated the nation's No. 25 tight end and No. 4 tight end in West by Scout.com...Rated No. 55 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...PrepStar All-Region selection...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...Earned three stars from Rivals.com and Scout.com...In 2010, he made 27 receptions for 573 yards (21.2 average) and six touchdowns...Also made 48 tackles, including 3.0 sacks...As a junior, Nelson made 32 receptions for 687 yards and 11 touchdowns...On defense, he made 64 tackles and 7.5 sacks...Brother of Reeves Nelson, a sophomore forward on the UCLA basketball team...

Jerry Neuheisel
QB - 6-1, 185
Los Angeles, CA (Loyola)
Earned three stars from Rivals.com...Ranked No. 28 among pro-style quarterbacks by Rivals.com...Earned two stars from Scout.com...Missed second half of senior year due to concussion...Played in just four games but completed 47 of 80 passes (.588) for 590 yards (147.5 average) with five touchdowns and two interceptions...As a junior, he completed 117 of 190 passes (.616) for 1,621 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Will Oliver
OT - 6-8, 295
Brentwood, CA (Heritage)
Earned unanimous first-team All-Bay Valley Athletic League honors...Heritage led area in offense and ran for over 3,000 yards in 2010, primarily behind Oliver at strongside tackle...Yielded just one sack his entire senior season...Played every snap when the game was in doubt... Has 84-inch wingspan...

Mike Orloff
LB - 6-2, 215
Groton, MA (Lawrence Academy)
Earned three stars from Rivals.com...Rated No. 7 player in Massachusetts by Rivals.com...Rated No. 8 player in New England area by SuperPrep...Led Lawrence Academy to 8-1 record as a senior...Made 42 tackles and two interceptions in eight games...Also played quarterback, completing 61 of 89 passes (.685) for 1,168 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception...Rushed 505 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries (12.95 average)...As a junior, he made 72 tackles, passed for 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 529 yards and eight touchdowns...

Sam Tai
DE - 6-4, 235
Henderson, NV (Liberty)
Rated No. 42 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...Earned three stars from Scout.com...Ranked No. 61 among defensive ends by Scout.com...Earned three stars from ESPN.com...Tai led his team to an 11-2 record...Although he missed a few games, he still made about 70 tackles, including 15 sacks...Also saw action at tight end and quarterback...Had three sacks in the final five minutes of a win over Canyon Springs in the Sunrise Region semifinals...The Patriots won the Region championship the next week...Enrolled in Winter Quarter...

Brandon Tuliaupupu
DT - 6-1, 296
Claremont, CA (Claremont)
Played both offense and defense at Claremont but projects on defense at UCLA...PrepStar All-Region selection...Earned three stars from Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com...Rated among the Top 100 players in California (No. 90) by Rivals.com...Ranked No. 52 nationally among defensive tackles by Rivals.com and No. 77 by ESPN.com...Rated No. 113 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...Made 63 tackles, including four sacks, in 11 games...

Aaron Wallace
LB - 6-4, 215
San Diego, CA (Rancho Bernardo)
Earned three stars from Scout.com and Rivals.com...Ranked No. 34 among outside linebackers by Scout.com...Rated No. 61 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...PrepStar All-Region selection...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...Earned three stars from ESPN.com...Also rated No. 62 among all linebackers by Rivals.com...Rated No. 88 player in California by Rivals.com...Missed his entire senior season due to a torn ligament in his ankle...Made 65 tackles as a junior...Son of Texas A&M All-American and Oakland Raider linebacker Aaron Wallace...Enrolled in Winter Quarter...

Torian White
OT - 6-6, 280
Lakewood, CA (Lakewood)
Ranked the nation's No. 43 offensive tackle by Scout.com...Rated No. 5 offensive tackle in the West by Scout.com...PrepStar All-Region selection...Rated No. 47 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...Earned three stars from Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...GoldenStatePreps.com All-Southern California second team...Played in Offense/Defense All-Star game...

Ben Wysocki
OG - 6-5, 280
Los Alamitos, CA (Los Alamitos)
Rated the nation's No. 40 offensive guard by ESPN.com...Ranked No. 45 among guards by Scout.com...Rated No. 34 player in CA/HI/NV area by SuperPrep...PrepStar All-Region selection...Rated No. 10 offensive guard in the West by Scout.com...Earned three stars from Scout.com and Rivals.com...Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100...GoldenStatePreps.com All-Southern California first team...SectionSports.com (Rivals) All-Southern Section first team...All-Orange County second team...Played tackle but can also play guard...

JUNIOR COLLEGE SIGNEE
Ryan Hofmeister
LB - 6-2, 220
Riverside, CA (Riverside City)
Member of SuperPrep JUCO 100 (No. 86)...Earned three stars from Rivals.com...Hofmeister is a true sophomore and has three seasons of eligibility remaining...A versatile performer who can play linebacker and safety as well as participate on special teams...Earned All-Conference honors at RCC, making 127 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss...Also recorded three pass breakups, forced one fumble and one blocked kick...As a senior at Vista Murrieta High School in 2009, Hofmeister made 126 tackles, including nine sacks, and helped lead his school to the CIF-SS finals...Scheduled to enroll in Spring Quarter...

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