UCLA NOTEBOOK: IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO THINK OF NEXT YEAR.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

UCLA coach Bob Toledo missed his summer vacation because of the disabled-parking scandal, and from that frustration has come a running joke: If UCLA corrals enough oral commitments this fall, Toledo can take a makeup vacation in December, the traditional height of recruiting season.

No one, including Toledo, actually expects the Bruins to fill their scholarship allotment (approximately 18) before December, but their seven commitments stand as the highest preseason total of the Toledo era.

The Bruins, who held a light practice Sunday night, are concentrating on linemen this fall. Only right guard Mike Saffer and left tackle Blake Worley remain from 1998's heralded offensive line class - Scott Wiegand and Jeff Wright quit, Steve Morgan has moved to defense - while defensive linemen are the most-coveted commodity in football.

``We'd like to get six or seven linemen, offense and defense,'' recruiting coordinator Gary Bernardi said. ``After the lines, it's one guy here, one guy there.''

Fall recruiting hits high gear Sept. 1, when coaches begin calling prospects. Here are seven names to watch from UCLA's most-wanted list:

Travis Johnson. A 240-pound defensive end from Notre Dame High, Johnson is the best pass rusher in the state, a combination of size and speed normally found on Florida State's roster. He attended UCLA's scrimmage Saturday and said his finalists are Michigan, Florida State, Tennessee, Ohio State, USC and UCLA.

Alex Holmes. A 290-pound tight end from Harvard-Westlake, Holmes has exhausted his prep eligibility and will spend the fall comparing UCLA to Michigan, his father's alma mater.

Manual White. A 220-pound tailback from Valencia, White's finalists are USC, Ohio State, Arizona State, Washington and UCLA.

Yes, the Bruins are pursuing White despite an oral commitment from Sacramento tailback Albert Hollis, the state's top-rated runner. Because sophomore DeShaun Foster could bolt for the NFL after next season, the Bruins want two tailbacks.

Paul Mociler. A 300-pound offensive lineman from St. John Bosco, Mociler is as touted as recent UCLA signees Worley, Saffer, Brian Polak and Shane Lehmann. His final three are UCLA, Cal and Notre Dame.

Matt Grootegoed. A 200-pound safety considered Mater Dei's best prospect ever, he's considering UCLA and Michigan, according to Student Sports Magazine.

Willie Dixon. An elite receiver from Sacramento, Dixon has UCLA, USC, Miami and Florida State on his short list.

D.J. Williams. A 225-pound linebacker from powerhouse Concord De La Salle, Williams is the most-coveted California prospect in years (any position) and has drawn comparisons to a young Lawrence Taylor.

Asked who's pursuing Williams, one college recruiter said, ``The world.''

Local update: Newbury Park tight end Will Svitek has received scholarship offers from USC, Stanford, Ohio State, Arizona State and Arizona but not UCLA.

``(The Bruins) are the only school that hasn't offered and it's frustrating,'' Svitek said at Saturday's scrimmage. ``They told me they haven't gotten a good evaluation because we ran a spread offense last year and I didn't play normal tight end. But this year, we're changing. The coaches said they'll look at me. I'll have to wait.''

Coming up: UCLA's next commitment could come from Groodegoed, who's expected to announce before the season.

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PHOTO UCLA head coach Bob Toledo hasn't had much of a vacation so far this summer.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News