The recent firing of UCLA Bruins football coach DeShaun Foster has caused a shake-up for their recruiting class, as the program has experienced a flurry of decommitments.
One of the biggest names to re-enter the market is undoubtedly O’Dea (Washington) four-star defensive lineman David Schwerzel.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound athlete was disappointed to hear about Foster’s dismissal and reopened his recruitment Sunday.
“With Coach Foster’s (firing), I felt like it was best for me to de-commit and reopen my recruitment and see what’s out there," he said. "You’ve got to control what you can control. Coach Foster is a great guy and I felt like UCLA did what they had to do and I did what I had to do.”
Still, it may be a blessing in disguise.
Schwerzel has heard from a massive collection of schools since his decommitment — Colorado, Florida State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Stanford, TCU, Texas A&M, Washington and others.
The quick contact has meant a lot to the Northwest star.
“It’s a blessing," he said. "I feel like all of those programs are great programs and I’m honored. I have a great list already, being decommitted for (less than two days). I want to find where I fit best.”
Schwerzel took official visits to both Stanford and Washington early in the summer, so both programs have an edge in familiarity.
“I feel like U-Dub and Stanford have a jumpstart over the new schools coming in, because I have experience being on those campuses,” he said. “But I’m open to all schools and going to weigh my options. Whenever and wherever things feel right and we’ve found home and built a great connection to the coaches and culture, that’s when I’ll be ready to commit.”
After initially choosing UCLA over Washington, Schwerzel has a new perspective on the Huskies after seeing them this season.
“Getting to see them play, seeing coach Jedd Fisch and the guys on the field…they’ve been winning," he said. "It’s definitely a good look for them. The first time going through the recruitment process U-Dub was definitely up there for me."
That relationship has been jumpstarted again.
“The relationship has always been good with U-Dub, being a local kid,” Schwerzel said. “I feel like we are building that relationship up again. I haven’t talked to them much since I committed to UCLA, but I’m taking Washington seriously. It would be an honor to play for them and stay home and be a hometown hero. But we’re slowly building that relationship and we’ll take it from there.”
But the O’Dea star is taking a fresh start to the whole process, so no one is a leader or favorite at this point.
Expect Schwerzel to schedule visits soon, and for progress to be made in his recruitment in the coming weeks.
Here's what 247Sports had to say about Schwerzel as a prospect:
"Schwerzel is one of the top defensive lineman out West and brings a lot of positional versatility to the table. We could see him playing in any scheme and moving around and playing some edge, three-tech or as a traditional tackle depending on the front. He has a big, strong 6-3.5, 265 pound frame and could easily carry 290 pounds without losing any of his athleticism. He has length, strong hands and plays with good pad level. He’s a tough kid who can play the run and offers some pass rush ability. He’s a high motor defender who pursues well to the football and run down plays from behind. He has the multi-sport background we like and along with football, also plays hoops and throws the shot in track. He has an NFL ceiling if he reaches his potential and should be a multi-year starter at the next level."