UCLA was hardly a picture of stability heading into signing day.

Coach Rick Neuheisel, entering his fourth season, let go of offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who ended up at Utah. The Bruins last season switched from Chow's pro-style passing attack to a version of the Pistol offense.

And the defensive coordinator position had been open since mid-December, when Neuheisel fired Chuck Bullough.

For a program that figured to be picking up steam by now -- especially in light of the troubles at cross-town rival USC -- the Bruins seem to be backpedaling. And after putting together a few nice recruiting classes in a row, this year's effort was ranked seventh in the Pac-12 by Rivals.com and eighth by Scout.com.

The Bruins signed a total of 19 players, including three midyear additions, with only one being among ESPU's top 150 -- quarterback Brett Hundley. UCLA lost some notable recruiting battles on or near signing day, missing out on defensive end Jalen Grimble (Miami) and linebacker Tony Steward (Clemson).

"It's all numbers," Neuheisel said of the rankings. "The proof will be in the pudding. We'll wait and see. I don't worry about the numbers and what people say about classes. It all has to be borne out on the field of play."

But it's also perception, and even Neuheisel, who is 15-22 with the Bruins, would have thought the perception of UCLA would be a little bit rosier by now.

TOP OF THE CLASS

QB Brett Hundley (Chandler High, Chandler, Ariz.) -- The class headliner, Hundley is rated the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com, which should make him a good fit for the UCLA offense, which requires the signal-caller to be active in the run game. As a high school senior, he completed 139 of 225 passes for 2,348 yards, with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also led team in rushing with 856 yards (7.0 average) and nine touchdowns. Hundley enrolled at UCLA for the winter quarter.

DT Kevin McReynolds (St. John's College High, Washington, D.C.) -- He was a nice late addition to the UCLA class, a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. McReynolds was a big priority for UCLA, especially after losing out on DL Jalen Grimble. McReynolds picked UCLA over Syracuse, Kansas State and Mississippi State.

WR Devin Lucien (Crespi High, Encino, Calif.) -- A four-star recruit by Scout.com and Rivals.com, Lucien was rated the 97th-best prospect overall by PrepStar. He caught 71 receptions for 1,259 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

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