UCLA lands its 2016 quarterback
Matt Lynch said he'd commit on the spot if an offer came during his visit to UCLA Wednesday afternoon.
And, true to his word, the three-star quarterback pledged to the Bruins immediately after Jim Mora, Noel Mazzone and Taylor Mazzone extended him the coveted scholarship offer.
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"As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I loved it," Lynch said. "And I had built such a good connection with coach (Taylor) Mazzone, I just wanted him to be my QB coach."
After watching Lynch throw last week at his Broomfield (Colo.) Legacy high school, and then after watching three-star San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) San Juan Hills quarterback Patrick O'Brien throw at his high school Tuesday afternoon, the Bruins had their potential offer list essentially down to those two.
But the way Lynch carried himself on his Westwood visit Wednesday really sealed the deal for UCLA. The Bruin coaches just couldn't let him head back to Colorado without him knowing they wanted him.
"I committed because they are the first school to have confidence in me," Lynch said. "Both Taylor and Noel Mazzone and coach Mora really believed I could have success at UCLA."
Most of UCLA's early 2016 quarterback targets committed to other schools after realizing former five-star recruit Josh Rosen would be ahead of them on the depth chart for the next few years.
Yet Lynch, a 6-foot-5, 183-pound dual-threat quarterback, said he's welcoming the Rosen challenge.
"I also committed to compete with Josh and all the other QBs on the team," Lynch said. "(Rosen) is a good quarterback to compete with and also learn from to make my future better."
Lynch held just one other offer from Colorado State, but he was receiving heavy interest from Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.
If more schools should decide to pursue him now that he's a Pac-12 commit, Lynch said they'll be getting a kind, "Thanks, but no thanks."
"This commit is solid," Lynch said. "I won't be taking anymore visits. I'm set to spend five years at UCLA."