Photo courtesy of Marc Lopez

Orange Lutheran senior offensive lineman John Lopez – third in OCVarsity’s recruiting rankings for 2013 – committed to UCLA on Wednesday night.

Lopez (6-6, 310) was highly recruited by Pac-12 schools and several others but in the end picked the school that offered him before he even played a varsity game: UCLA.

Lopez said he picked the Bruins for three main reasons. He wanted to play in-state, close to his family. He was impressed with the UCLA’s new coaching staff. And he was excited to join a program he believes is on the way up.

“I really felt having my family close helped me in the decision,” Lopez said. “And being on the ground floor of a great football program to come.”

Lopez picked UCLA over Washington.

The Bruins offered Lopez the summer before his sophomore season at Orange Lutheran. Rick Neuheisel was UCLA’s coach but the Bruins’ new staff kept the offer in place, Lopez said. The Bruins were the first school to offer Lopez.

Lopez projects to play guard, a position he also plays at Orange Lutheran.

He is the second Orange County senior lineman to commit to UCLA’s class of 2013. The other is Erik Bunte of Santa Margarita.

Lopez attended Nike’s recruiting showcase, “The Opening”, in early July. He also shined at Rivals’ Top 100 Five-Star Challenge earlier in the summer, helping the West Coast claim the offensive line competition.

Lopez is a great get for the Bruins.

Please send football recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@ocregister.com

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