Three-star Noah Pulealii commits to UCLA
Noah Pulealii narrowed his choices down to six in July and then really focused on making his commitment by the end of the summer.
That came on Wednesday when the three-star offensive guard from Salinas (Calif.) Palma picked UCLA over Cal, Utah, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Florida.
*****
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
*****
In a strange twist, the coronavirus shutdown actually aided the Bruins since Pulealii had previously visited Westwood twice and was sold it was the right place for him.
“It really came down to the pandemic, I can’t see schools, I couldn’t go on campuses so one of the big factors was that I was on UCLA’s campus twice,” Pulealii said.
“The deciding factors were I really liked the L.A. area, that Southern California vibe, I really like it. Coach (Justin) Frye was a huge part in making my decision. I really like him and how he coaches his players and his intellect of the game. He loves his players, it’s close to home, the education is top-tier and so those were some of the reasons why I picked UCLA.”
Out of his top six, Pulealii only visited Cal and UCLA. The Bruins had an edge for a while in his recruitment but it definitely helped that other trips couldn’t happen.
“It was a really big selling point,” Pulealii said. “I wasn’t able to go see any other schools other than Cal. It’s always nice in L.A. Just being in L.A., I’m a city person, so that environment seemed nice to me. And UCLA’s campus was really beautiful when I went so it’s good.”
Frye was also a major chip for the Bruins in Pulealii’s recruitment. The Salinas Palma standout built a great relationship with UCLA’s offensive line coach and playing for him in college was an ideal situation.
“He loves his players,” Pulealii said.
“I could tell that he will do his best to put me on the right path for my success. My parents really like him as well, the way he talks to them and he’s really intellectual. When it comes down to it, I want a coach who will take me in with open arms. Other coaches did too but coach Frye was a little different.”