Longtime UCLA commit Eddie Printz, a heraled quarterback from Lassiter High in metro Atlanta, was shocked when he got a call from UCLA coach and former Falcon coach Jim Mora telling him the school has withdrawn its scholarship offer.
Printz had been committed to UCLA since last January, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Per NCAA rule, UCLA coaches are not allowed to comment on this event.
Printz is the second prospect Mora has shocked by pulling their scholarship.
“I feel like a horse kicked me in the stomach,” the quarterback’s father, Ed Printz, told the AJC. “And I feel like I let my son down because I let him commit early. This happens, and I don’t know how I could’ve foreseen it. I believed what Coach Mora was telling us, and now I feel sick in my stomach about it.”
This is the second time within the last couple of months that a top Georgia prospect and UCLA have parted ways, the AJC reported. Keyante Green, a running back from Eagles Landing Christian Academy, switched to Purdue over the summer because he said he hadn’t heard much from UCLA after committing to the Bruins last February.
“I really shocked and disappointed with how this went down with UCLA,” Lassiter coach Jep Irwin said. “They haven’t been genuine and forthright through this whole thing. It appears they used Eddie, maybe to attract other recruits. Or maybe they have another recruit closer to home they ended up liking better.
“This is not how adults should handle business, regardless of whether it’s recruiting or not. They won’t answer the phone or call us back. If you’re going to build relationships with people, you have to have some level of trust.”
Printz’s father said he had to do some investigative work to find out the scholarship offer was being withdrawn. After seeing a tweet from a recruiting analyst that UCLA was scouting another QB last Friday (Hayden Rettig, who is committed to LSU), Printz said he repeatedly tried to contact the coaches over the last several days with no response. He said finally got someone to pick up a phone with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm , who recruits the Atlanta area.
Printz said he was disappointed that he had to track down UCLA’s coaches for the news rather than the other way around – and hear it directly from Mora or Mazzone. “That was the biggest letdown. They could’ve been upfront and honest about it. And that’s my thing: Just let us know. Don’t leave us out in the cold about it. We made a few trips out there, and Eddie took classes so he could graduate early and start college early at UCLA. He didn’t go visit colleges over the summer, and probably turned down 20-25 offers, because he was a 100-percent Bruin.”
Printz’ family said he was contacted by Missouri about an official visit, and also fielded calls from San Diego State and Southern Miss.
“This is an opportunity for Eddie,” Irwin said. “He’s still a high-prized recruit. There are still plenty of people interested in him.”
