In part three new head coach Rick Neuheisel was asked about a subject that was on the minds of many at that was interim head coach DeWayne Walker who was one of his main competitors for the job. Neuheisel was clear on what he intends to do.
Associated Press
New head coach is determined to keep UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker employed at UCLA.
Have you talked to DeWayne Walker yet and also what are you looking at are you a guy who's going to call your own plays or how is that going to shake out?
Neuheisel: "I have told Dan that DeWayne Walker is my number one recruit and that I was very, very impressed with the defense that he played over the last couple of years, certainly the way it took the team in the role that he did and played as hard as they did in the bowl game in Las Vegas was impressive.
"All the people that I have talked to that know DeWayne and know him well rave about him and his character and certainly his ability to get his teams to play great defense.
"Those are all things that we would love to keep at UCLA and I am hopeful that he will listen to the proposals put forth in terms of why it would be great for him to stay and finish what they started in terms of building a great, great defensive team and putting it around a team that can compete for a conference championship.
Offensively?
Neuheisel: "I would like to say one more thing. I know he's (Walker) coveted and I know that he is sought after guy because of the way he's performed and the kind of person that he is and it is important that we do everything we can to make him feel welcome and let him know that we would love for him to stay at UCLA.
"I have called him a couple of times and have not gotten through, but I'm anxious to make contact with him as soon as possible.
"Offensively there are some decisions to be made. There are coaches that are still there and I looked forward to having the chance to speak to all of them and we will come to conclusion as to how we will proceed offensively as quickly as it's prudent.
"Sometimes people move too quickly in these things and make decisions and they turn out not to be the right ones so while we want to be in a mode where we're working quickly, but we also want to work smart.
"It's important that I take the time to meet all the guys and get all the necessary information on how best to proceed.
Are you allowed to contact the recruits once you sign your contract and talk to some of ones who may have been vacillating with Karl Dorrell leaving and the possibility of DeWayne Walker leaving? Are you going to try and talk to them and get a solid commitment from them?
Neuheisel: "I will guarantee you I'm going to check and make sure before I do. (laughter by everyone)
I didn't mean it that way, I was just wondering when you would be able to that…
Neuheisel: "Well as soon as it is possible because recruits are like all of us. When there's change everyone wants to know how that impacts them. We will look at the right timing to make those calls and I understand that UCLA has an unbelievable recruiting class in the fold.
"Certainly there is some hesitancy that goes with change, but I'm feeling very comfortable when you choose UCLA, you choose it because it is a great school and it's a great place to go and become the kind of person you want to become in terms of not only competing in a great athletic arena, but also to compete in one of the great Universities of the land so I'm hopeful that they will remember exactly why they came to UCLA and as we make these personnel decisions and get the people in the fold I think they will realize they were in the right place all along.
Guerrero: "As a point of clarification, Rick will be required to take the NCAA coaches test prior to him being able to make contact with recruits.
What is the timeframe on something like that?
Guerrero: "As soon as Rick gets here, we're going to through the book at him if you will.
Did you think in your aftermath with your dismissal at Washington that you would ever have an opportunity like this again to coach a division one school like UCLA?
Neuheisel: "I certainly held out hope. It was one of my goals in that whole process that I not burn bridges that didn't need burning just so I could have a chance someday to return to the game that I love and influence student-athletes in a positive way.
What are your thoughts about going head to head against Pete Carroll now in this town and how you view that challenge?
Neuheisel: "I have a great deal of respect for Coach Carroll. He has done an unbelievable job there in the time that he has been the head coach at USC. I admire what he has built and it is up to us at UCLA now to become the type of rival that when USC and UCLA square off it's the game of the year.
"We need to get into that arena. It is easy to talk about it, but I think we have a plan for it and we need for that game to be a big decider in the national picture on a yearly basis.
Besides learning from past mistakes how have you changed as a coach in the last five years?
Neuheisel: "The good news about the last five years is that I didn't waste the time. I coached two years in high school at an inner-city in Seattle (Wash.), Rainier Beach in a kind of grass roots reminder of what football is all about.
Where we were not only worried about blocking and tackling, but making sure that kids had bus tokens to get home. That was a great experience for me. In terms of team building and all the different things it wasn't only for the highly skilled or the kids with scholarships. It is a great game and we need to treat it as such.
"Then the last three years, I have gotten a chance to learn the NFL and just be around the very best in the game in terms of the athletes that participate and you know basically a graduate school of football where the X's and O's are refined and the protections get more schemed and everything kind of goes up notch in terms of the amount of sophistication.
"That was also a great experience for me, but while doing both of those things, I missed Saturday's and I'm elated. Not only did I get to return to Saturday's, but to do so at my alma mater is a dream come true.
good move?
from bruinblitz.com
Associated Press
New head coach is determined to keep UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker employed at UCLA.
Have you talked to DeWayne Walker yet and also what are you looking at are you a guy who's going to call your own plays or how is that going to shake out?
Neuheisel: "I have told Dan that DeWayne Walker is my number one recruit and that I was very, very impressed with the defense that he played over the last couple of years, certainly the way it took the team in the role that he did and played as hard as they did in the bowl game in Las Vegas was impressive.
"All the people that I have talked to that know DeWayne and know him well rave about him and his character and certainly his ability to get his teams to play great defense.
"Those are all things that we would love to keep at UCLA and I am hopeful that he will listen to the proposals put forth in terms of why it would be great for him to stay and finish what they started in terms of building a great, great defensive team and putting it around a team that can compete for a conference championship.
Offensively?
Neuheisel: "I would like to say one more thing. I know he's (Walker) coveted and I know that he is sought after guy because of the way he's performed and the kind of person that he is and it is important that we do everything we can to make him feel welcome and let him know that we would love for him to stay at UCLA.
"I have called him a couple of times and have not gotten through, but I'm anxious to make contact with him as soon as possible.
"Offensively there are some decisions to be made. There are coaches that are still there and I looked forward to having the chance to speak to all of them and we will come to conclusion as to how we will proceed offensively as quickly as it's prudent.
"Sometimes people move too quickly in these things and make decisions and they turn out not to be the right ones so while we want to be in a mode where we're working quickly, but we also want to work smart.
"It's important that I take the time to meet all the guys and get all the necessary information on how best to proceed.
Are you allowed to contact the recruits once you sign your contract and talk to some of ones who may have been vacillating with Karl Dorrell leaving and the possibility of DeWayne Walker leaving? Are you going to try and talk to them and get a solid commitment from them?
Neuheisel: "I will guarantee you I'm going to check and make sure before I do. (laughter by everyone)
I didn't mean it that way, I was just wondering when you would be able to that…
Neuheisel: "Well as soon as it is possible because recruits are like all of us. When there's change everyone wants to know how that impacts them. We will look at the right timing to make those calls and I understand that UCLA has an unbelievable recruiting class in the fold.
"Certainly there is some hesitancy that goes with change, but I'm feeling very comfortable when you choose UCLA, you choose it because it is a great school and it's a great place to go and become the kind of person you want to become in terms of not only competing in a great athletic arena, but also to compete in one of the great Universities of the land so I'm hopeful that they will remember exactly why they came to UCLA and as we make these personnel decisions and get the people in the fold I think they will realize they were in the right place all along.
Guerrero: "As a point of clarification, Rick will be required to take the NCAA coaches test prior to him being able to make contact with recruits.
What is the timeframe on something like that?
Guerrero: "As soon as Rick gets here, we're going to through the book at him if you will.
Did you think in your aftermath with your dismissal at Washington that you would ever have an opportunity like this again to coach a division one school like UCLA?
Neuheisel: "I certainly held out hope. It was one of my goals in that whole process that I not burn bridges that didn't need burning just so I could have a chance someday to return to the game that I love and influence student-athletes in a positive way.
What are your thoughts about going head to head against Pete Carroll now in this town and how you view that challenge?
Neuheisel: "I have a great deal of respect for Coach Carroll. He has done an unbelievable job there in the time that he has been the head coach at USC. I admire what he has built and it is up to us at UCLA now to become the type of rival that when USC and UCLA square off it's the game of the year.
"We need to get into that arena. It is easy to talk about it, but I think we have a plan for it and we need for that game to be a big decider in the national picture on a yearly basis.
Besides learning from past mistakes how have you changed as a coach in the last five years?
Neuheisel: "The good news about the last five years is that I didn't waste the time. I coached two years in high school at an inner-city in Seattle (Wash.), Rainier Beach in a kind of grass roots reminder of what football is all about.
Where we were not only worried about blocking and tackling, but making sure that kids had bus tokens to get home. That was a great experience for me. In terms of team building and all the different things it wasn't only for the highly skilled or the kids with scholarships. It is a great game and we need to treat it as such.
"Then the last three years, I have gotten a chance to learn the NFL and just be around the very best in the game in terms of the athletes that participate and you know basically a graduate school of football where the X's and O's are refined and the protections get more schemed and everything kind of goes up notch in terms of the amount of sophistication.
"That was also a great experience for me, but while doing both of those things, I missed Saturday's and I'm elated. Not only did I get to return to Saturday's, but to do so at my alma mater is a dream come true.
good move?
from bruinblitz.com