Shirley made sure of his decison
Things continue to be steaming hot for UCLA and head coach Rick Neuheisel. The good news just keeps pouring in for Neuheisel and the Bruins as they picked another four-star recruit.
This time the Bruins picked up the verbal commitment of four-star linebacker Josh Shirley (6-2, 225, 4.53) from Fontana (Calif.) Kaiser.
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"I just went with my heart," Shirley said. "UCLA has been my No. 1 school all along."
A lot of people thought that Shirley would join his good friend Anthony Brown with the Trojans, but that was not to be. He was asked if the coaching change at USC had any bearing on his decision.
"No, not at all," Shirley responded to the question asked on Fox Sports. "Coach Ed Orgeron and Coach Lane Kiffin they were all great coaches, but UCLA is where my heart is.
"It was like a partnership," Shirley said about his relationship with Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisel. "Somebody is going to take care of me, be there for me, coaching me through the ups and downs.
"UCLA is just where my heart came out," Shirley said. "I had a tough night's sleep, but now it is like everything has been lifted off my shoulders and now I can just move forward."
The Bruins win this intense recruiting battle over offers from the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Miami, Nebraska, Nevada, Notre Dame, Oregon, San Diego State, Stanford, Tennessee, USC, Utah, and Washington.
The Bruins get a player in Shirley who was selected to the Rivals.com Rivals250 for the class of 2010 landing as the nation's No. 137 prospect at any position. He also earned a spot on the Rivals.com California Postseason Top 100 and is ranked as the Golden State's No. 22 prospect at any position.
Another good get for the Bruins.