Interview: 4-Star UCLA 2017 DE Commit Hunter Echols Clears the Air about Taking Official Visits

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The day after Class of 2016 recruits filled the headlines in February with their late flips and surprise commitments to various Division-I programs across the country, UCLA made a big splash landing 4-star Class of 2017 defensive end Hunter Echols. Echols addition could prove to be one of the biggest early commitments for the Bruins class laying the bedrock of the new class.

Echols was a standout player for Cathedral High School during the 2015 season. The Phantoms were loaded with underclassmen talent finishing with an 11-2 record but their now 6’4”, 232 pound, defensive end was an unstoppable force coming in from the outside. Echols, playing defensive end, led the team in tackles with 79 which included a jaw dropping 27 tackles for a loss, 17 sacks, 37 quarterback hurries, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

At this point in the recruiting game heading into February 2017, Echols is one of the more highly recruited players in the nation. With over 30 offers, programs from every Power 5 Conference have laid down scholarship bait. Among the many includes Baylor, Arkansas, Cal, Miami, TCU, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Nebraska. Some of the other schools to offer, like USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, and Oklahoma, are still recruiting Echols hard hoping to get one of his official visits come the fall in an effort to flip his UCLA commitment.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, Echols updates his offseason workouts and clears the air about his recruitment process reaffirming his verbal commitment to UCLA.

Interview

Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Hunter Echols at UCLA’s Spring Game (April 2016).