Trojans Come On Late in Recruiting

UCLA started fast, but USC has closed with a furious finish in college football recruiting.

Many of the nation’s top high school seniors have already announced their college choices, but nothing is final until they begin signing their letters of intent Wednesday.

Last week, USC got commitments from two highly regarded players, defensive back Matt Grootegoed of Santa Ana Mater Dei--the Glenn Davis Award winner as Southern California’s top prep football player--and tight end Alex Holmes of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

Both players fill crucial needs for the Trojans. Grootegoed, who helped Mater Dei win Southern Section Division I titles in 1996, ’98 and ‘99, could replace the graduating David Gibson at strong safety. Holmes, 6 feet 4, 290 pounds, joins a team lacking in quality depth at tight end.

UCLA received commitments from 14 players prior to January, but the Bruins have come up empty this month. They focused on six elite prospects and are 0 for 5, losing Grootegoed, Holmes, running back Marcus Houston of Denver to Colorado, linebacker Darrell Lee of Kirkwood, Mo., to Florida and defensive back Eddie Smith of Berkeley to Oregon.

A top player the Bruins are still pursuing is defensive end Travis Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. He’s considering Michigan, Florida State and UCLA.

Among the players UCLA received commitments from who figure to make an impact are free safety Ben Emanuel from Friendswood, Texas, offensive lineman Paul Mociler from Bellflower St. John Bosco, fullback Patrick Norton from Newhall Hart and receiver Tab Perry from Milipitas.

Emanuel, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound cousin of Tampa Bay Buccaneer receiver (and former Bruin) Bert Emanuel, runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds and is “a great athlete,” according to his coach at Clear Brook High, Jim Hatfield.

Mociler, 6-6, 300 pounds, was a Parade magazine All-American but had knee surgery in December. Norton, 6-2, 255 pounds, was The Times’ San Fernando Valley player of the year. Perry, 6-3, 210 pounds, is a swift, sure-handed receiver.

USC has commitments from at least 20 players, with more likely. It’s a top 10 recruiting class because of the strong emphasis on offensive and defensive linemen.

No player is more highly regarded than offensive lineman Joe McGuire, a 6-6, 285-pound Parade All-American from Anaheim Servite.

USC is on its way to building up a surplus of big, strong defensive linemen with commitments from Kenechi Udeze, a 6-5, 310-pounder from Verbum Dei, Jamaal Williams, 6-5, 250 pounds, from San Diego St. Augustine, and Nathan Goodson, 6-5, 265 pounds, from Temescal Canyon.

Three of USC’s recruits are junior college transfers already attending classes--defensive back Chris Cash from Palomar College, offensive lineman Phillip Eaves from Riverside City College and linebacker John Cousins from West L.A. College.

Coaches Paul Hackett of USC and Bob Toledo of UCLA cannot comment on their recruits until after signing day.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

College Football Commitments

Commitments for the USC football team:

*--*

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. School Carlos Acosta OL 6-4 270 Moorpark CC Doyal Butler TE 6-5 220 Mesa, Ariz. CC Chris Cash DB 5-10 175 Palomar CC Matt Cassel QB 6-4 215 Chatsworth John Cousins LB 6-2 220 West L.A. CC Phillip Eaves OL 6-7 315 Riverside CC Nathan Goodson DL 6-5 265 Temescal Canyon Matt Grootegoed DB 6-0 200 Mater Dei Gregg Guenther TE 6-8 260 Taft Alex Holmes TE 6-4 290 Harvard-Westlake Chris Howard RB 6-1 190 Wilmington Banning Blair Jones OL 6-8 265 Newport Harbor Traison Lewis LB 6-2 230 Rancho Cucamonga Jason Leach DB 5-11 190 Bishop Amat Joe McGuire OL 6-6 285 Servite A.J. Single DL 6-3 250 Bonita Vista Kenechi Udeze DL 6-5 310 Verbum Dei Travis Watkins OL 6-4 290 La Mesa Helix Lee Webb FB 5-11 240 Crenshaw Jamaal Williams DL 6-5 250 San Diego St. Augustine

*--*

Commitments for the UCLA football team:

*--*

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. School Craig Bragg WR 6-2 185 San Jose Bellarmine Ray Cassaday LB 6-2 235 Valencia Brandon Chillar LB 6-4 230 Carlsbad Eyoseph Efseaff OL 6-4 280 Porterville Monache Ben Emanuel DB 6-3 190 Friendswood, Tex., Clear Brook Chris Kluwe P 6-5 220 Los Alamitos Paul Mociler OL 6-6 300 St. John Bosco Patrick Norton FB 6-2 255 Hart Tab Perry WR 6-3 210 Milipitas John Ream OL 6-4 270 Las Vegas Chaparral Keith Short DB 5-11 170 Irvine Steve Vieira OL 6-6 275 Carlsbad Tim Warfield LB 6-4 245 Vista Manuel White RB 6-3 220 Valencia

*--*