Oatis pulls the trigger

Chino (Calif.) safety Shawn Oatis said last weekend that Wednesday would be the day he pulled the trigger. His final three choices were UCLA, Ohio State and Notre Dame and when it came down to it, the lure of staying close to home was too much to pass up.

“He committed to UCLA this morning,” Chino head coach John Monger said. “He loved his visit there last weekend and told me on Monday that he would be committing there. I think he just wanted take a couple of days to sit on the decision and make sure it was an emotional reaction to his visit.

“He feels the program is heading in the right direction and is excited to be a part of it. Staying close to home was big for him and he also likes his chances of playing early over there. They’re recruiting him as a strong safety and I think he’s going to be a great college player. He’s as good a prospect as Sedric Ellis (USC) was for us a few years ago and I think his best days are definitely ahead of him.”

Coach Monger broke down just why Oatis is such a talent.

“He really has it all,” Monger said. “He’s a big kid, around 215 pounds and is a huge hitter but he’s also our fastest player and has good cover skills. Playing strong safety, I think that will be good for him because he’s so good in run support but that speed he has will allow him to drop in coverage and also make plays from sideline to sideline that a lot of other safeties can’t make just because they don’t have the speed or the range to get out to the perimeter on sweeps and screens.”

Oatis becomes the 11th commitment of the year for the Bruins. He’s also an excellent student and is carrying a 4.0 GPA.