Jamal Atofau, the 5-foot-10, 186-pound three-star strong safety from Bellevue, Wash., still favors Washington State and Oregon, but says it would be a three-way race if UCLA offered.
"I'm originally from California," Atofau said. "So if UCLA offered they'd probably be number one. It would be real close."
Atofau, ranked as the No. 56 safety in the country by Scout.com, says the Bruins are recruiting him, but need him to get his grades up. "I've gotten calls from (secondary) coach (Tim Hauck) and he says they like me because I'm really aggressive and that I'm the kind of guy they are looking for," he said.
"But they just need me to get my grades up," he said.
Atofau currently reports 2.1 core GPA and took the ACT on Sept. 6. "I'm working hard to get my GPA up and hopefully I did pretty good on the ACT," he said.
His academics are likely the reason why more schools haven't offered yet.
"I think if I do better, UCLA will offer," he said. "I really like coach Rick Neuheisel. He's a players' coach and just gets it done. He's been there and knows what it takes."
Atofau admits he had originally planned to attend the UCLA/Tennessee home opener, but couldn't make it. "I was supposed to be at that game," he said. "I actually wasn't too surprised that UCLA won. I knew they'd be a lot better this year and I figured they could get the upset. It was a pretty exciting game though."
He has no official visits set yet, but hopes to visit Oregon on Oct. 11 when they take on the Bruins. "Those guys are great," he said of Oregon.
"They are just phenomenal, especially their defensive backs. They are doing great and should have another big season," Atofau said. "I also really like the coaches and how they've been around for so long and have so much experience. They are great teachers."
Although Washington State hasn't started out as well as the Bruins or the Ducks, he says he still feels strongly about the Cougars. "It's been a real tough start to the year," Atofau said. "But it's a rebuilding process and you've got to take the good and the bad.
"I see a lot of pros on Washington State," he said. "I think it's a good opportunity to come in and really help get the team back on track. I like the defense they have and they told me that they would build their whole defense around me, which sounds great."
Atofau said he also has offers from Arizona and Boise State. "I'm still looking at them," he said. "I'll look at anyone that offers, but right now it's really Washington State, Oregon and UCLA."
Bellevue High School opened their season with a 46-6 thrashing of Central Catholic High School from Portland, Ore. Atofau had six tackles, three sacks and two tackles for loss.
Atofau says he wants to major in business and carries a 2.1 core GPA. He took the ACT on Sept. 6.