UCLA football’s Sierra Canyon recruiting pipeline is paying off – Press Enterprise

LOS ANGELES — UCLA has made the most of the transfer portal to help bolster and retool its roster but the ability to recruit locally was also on display during the season opener with a pair of former Sierra Canyon High standouts.

Redshirt freshman safety Kamari Ramsey and senior offensive lineman Josh Carlin made a strong impression on Coach Chip Kelly during the offseason to earn their first career starts on Saturday night against Coastal Carolina.

“It was really cool to watch the game and see those guys playing,” Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse said. “It gave me a lot of joy to watch them. They are great young men both on and off the field.”

Ramsey has the ability to play both safety positions and Kelly had intentionally played Ramsey in four games last year to comply with the redshirt rule and allow him to preserve four years of eligibility.

“It boosts your confidence a lot because you get to see the speed of the game and you know what to expect,” Ramsey said about the opportunity to play as a true freshman in 2022.

His last two appearances provided him experience on a bigger stage, playing against crosstown rival USC and against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl, the Bruins’ first bowl game since 2017.

Ramsey made an impact during his first start with a pair of tackles on third down that forced the Chanticleers to settle for what would be an unsuccessful field goal attempt and a punt in the first half.

“We are really happy with where Karmari is right now,” Kelly said. “I thought he had an outstanding offseason for us and he played really well in his first extended playing time against Coastal.”

Ramsey replaces the void left behind by Mo Osling III and Stephan Blaylock, who played a combined 93 games for the Bruins. Ramsey was a four-year starter at Sierra Canyon before signing with the Bruins as a consensus four-star prospect. He recorded 58 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups during his senior season as the Trailblazers reached the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals.

“He has a really bright future and we’re excited,” Kelly said. “We have some returners on defense but after losing Mo and Blay, two stalwarts that were back there for us for a long time, having Kamari come along has been really good for us.”

Carlin is also making the most of his opportunity after playing in 28 games behind a pair of NFL-caliber guards. The senior is using his extra year of eligibility, awarded by the NCAA because of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and is one of the most experienced linemen on the roster.

He was in a reserve role during his first four years with the Bruins, behind Jon Gaines II (Arizona Cardinals) and Atonio Mafi (New England Patriots), who were drafted in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, in April.

Carlin was able to benefit from the lack of depth available this spring, providing him with more opportunities as offensive line coach Tim Drevno waited for incoming transfers to arrive in time for fall camp.

“Spring ball definitely helped,” Carlin said. “There were only nine guys so it was a big help getting extra work and being able to compete. It propelled us into fall camp.”

Both players gave credit to nutritionist Ross Shumway and performance director Keith Belton for the offseason program they provided leading up to the season.

“Over the past couple of months, I lost a lot of fat and got stronger and I think that’s helped me with spring ball and leading up to fall camp,” Carlin said. “I feel a lot better moving around and stuff like that. I went from 330 to 305 pounds and over seven percent muscle.”

“He was one of the bigger guys while he was here,” Ellinghouse said. “Early on (UCLA) wanted him to shed some weight and be more mobile and last I saw him he was looking great.”

The former two-star prospect was a two-time All-CIF selection and a member of three CIF-SS championship teams. As a sophomore, he was a starter for an undefeated CIF State championship team in 2016.

The Sierra Canyon pipeline is on track to continue with receiver Kwazi Gilmer already committed to the Bruins for the class of 2023.

“I think it improves the relationship when you send guys like Josh and Kamari over to UCLA that act right and do right,” Ellinghouse said. “As you create a relationship and when they make a phone call about a player, you’re able to trust each other.”