FOR ROOKIE COACH, DORRELL DID OK UCLA RECRUITING CLASS INCLUDES `A LOT OF GUYS WITH HUGE UPSIDES'.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

The first recruiting class of Karl Dorrell figures to be much like the UCLA coach himself: low on flash with plenty of room for growth.

The 18 players who have told UCLA they will sign letters of intent today - along with two coveted Long Beach Poly defensive linemen, Kevin Brown and Junior Lemau'u, who have UCLA as finalists - aren't rated anywhere near national leader USC or the annual top-15 national classes the Bruins hauled in during recent years.

Still, it's considered a solid class and a solid effort for a rookie coach.

The marquee player in the class is Concord De La Salle halfback Maurice Drew, a 5-foot-9, 190-pounder who is one of the top running-back prospects in the nation.

The other regarded players are Birmingham of Lake Balboa defensive back Dennis Keyes, Bonita Vista of Chula Vista receiver Alex Ghebreselasse and Clear Creek (Texas) defensive end Bruce Davis.

But this is a class without the elite recruits UCLA routinely brought in.

``This is a class with a high ceiling but very little star appeal,'' said Rick Kimbrel, a longtime recruiting analyst who works for Rivals.com. ``They might not have a lot of four- and five-star guys, but they have a lot of guys with huge upsides. If the coaches do their job and develop them, they're going to make guys like me, who do these rankings, look like village idiots.''

Tracy Pierson, who writes about recruiting for Insiders.com, agreed.

``Unless you're a huge name, this is really typical for a new coach,'' Pierson said. ``If they get Brown and Lemau'u, you can say they did a great job given the circumstances.''

Though former coach Bob Toledo's staff landed commitments from Keyes and Ghebreselasse - which Dorrell's staff was able to maintain - the Bruins were lagging when Toledo was fired in early December. They had eight commitments and many were second-tier players, according to Kimbrel and Pierson.

``Dorrell was hired on what, the 18th? He had no assistants until after Christmas,'' Kimbrel said. ``Basically, they've had five weeks of doing evaluations, who they're going to keep, who they're trying to move out of the way. It's very uncomfortable.''

Drew and Davis, the son of the former Bruins and Raiders lineman of the same name, were among the players UCLA received commitments from who had little or no interest in the school under the old staff.

They also cut loose one recruit the old staff was doing well with, San Leandro quarterback Dennis Dixon, a high school teammate of strong safety Jarrad Page.

With a young roster last season, the only two areas of immediate need are defensive line and quarterback. The Bruins have just three quarterbacks on scholarships, all sophomores. And there is only one nonsenior defensive lineman who has played a down for the Bruins.

While there isn't a quarterback in this group, the Bruins have landed four defensive linemen - Davis, Noah Sutherland, Aaron Whittingham and Chadd Evans.

Though they could lose Evans to Colorado - the Buffaloes are making a hard push for the Tulsa, Okla., defensive end - the Bruins could land the Poly pair. Tight end Marcedes Lewis, a former teammate at Poly, said he expects Lemau'u to chose UCLA over Oregon and Washington, but Brown - a lifelong Florida State fan - could become a Seminole.

Davis isn't the only Bruins legacy recruit. Trey Brown, a cornerback from suburban Kansas City, is the son of former UCLA halfback Theotis Brown.

There are only two offensive linemen in the group, including P.J. Irvin of Agoura, but that group is well stocked with underclassmen.

The Bruins also will welcome two players already enrolled who will count against last year's scholarships - receiver Antwuan Smith, who signed last February but didn't qualify academically until last fall; and long snapper Joe Tomasello, a transfer from Fresno City College.

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UCLA RECRUITS