BRUINS LINE UP A STELLAR GROUP OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ARE THE BACKBONE OF UCLA'S 2006 CLASS.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Through various skill-testing camps, visits to UCLA practices and games, as well as the California-Florida Bowl, the paths of Jake Dean, Andy Keane, Brandon Bennett, Sean Sheller and Sonny Tevaga criss-crossed.

As each one gave oral commitments to UCLA, the players spoke more frequently to one another.

Those five Southern California linemen - along with already-enrolled junior college transfer Nick Ekbatani and highly-regarded prospect Micah Kia of Mililani (Hawaii) High - are the backbone of a 22-player recruiting class, which will come together with today's national letter of intent day.

``We saw each other at the football games and then playing with each other at all-star games, and we all became pretty close,'' said Dean, who played at Paraclete of Lancaster. ``It's pretty cool to already know the guys you're going to be playing with. You already have a bond with them. I'm going to get there the first day having known a lot of these guys for the last year. And we have each other's back already.''

Under NCAA rules, coaches are prohibited from speaking about recruits until a letter of intent is received. However, Bruins coach Karl Dorrell spoke in general about the class, which will also include five defensive linemen, led by 6-foot-4, 315-pound tackle Darius Savage of San Diego Morse High.

``It's the best class we've had,'' Dorrell said. ``It's a core class. It's a class we wanted to make the biggest impression with our line positions. I believe that's the difference with a lot of the teams we play, is how we're playing in the trenches. That was the mandate a year ago, to get ourselves in better shape (in the interior).''

UCLA would like to redshirt each of the offensive linemen, but depth likely won't allow it.

With tackle Ed Blanton and center Mike McCloskey gone, the Bruins have openings on the offensive line. Ekbatani, who is 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, is expected to compete for a starting spot in the spring.

The gem of the offensive linemen could be Kia, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound tackle rated Hawaii's top prospect by rivals.com. But there is more talent behind Kia, which is why several recruiting services called this offensive line class one of the top three in the nation.

Dean, a 6-4, 261-pounder from Paraclete of Lancaster, and the 6-4, 260-pound Sheller, who is from Walnut, are ``the guys I love,'' said former UCLA director of football operations Randy Taylor, who now runs Taylor Scouting Services.

Keane, a 6-2, 269-pounder via Palm Springs, is the top-rated center by ESPN.com, but could play defense. Bennett, who is from Bishop Amat of LaPuente, is a 6-4, 335-pounder with a high upside, but needs to ``improve his body,'' Taylor said.

And 6-4, 360-pound Sonny Tevaga, who is the younger brother of Bruins guard Shannon, was nimble enough to play sporadically at tight end for Compton Dominguez.

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com