Washington Huskies Football: Eddie Vanderdoes Flips To UCLA

Almost four months removed from National Signing Day — when Eddie Vanderdoes chose to attend Notre Dame over Washington, UCLA, Alabama and USC — the five-star defensive lineman has cooled on the Irish and is changing his commitment to the Bruins.

The recruitment of the Placer HS star was full of mystery, as rumors swirled about where he would go to school up until he signed his letter of intent with the Irish. Vanderdoes gave no hints as to where he would attend and there were reports of him favoring the Huskies; however, those reports were proven false when Vanderdoes chose Notre Dame.

Of course, those reports were false, but Vanderdoes won’t be attending Notre Dame, either. He issued a statement announcing that he would be staying home and playing for Jim Mora Jr.

"“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for lifting the recruiting ban and allowing me to sign an Athletic Scholarship with UCLA.“Over the past four months, circumstances have changed for me and my family. For very personal reasons, I feel a strong need to remain close to home and near those who are most important in my life.“I am honored and humbled that the University of Notre Dame thought enough of me as a person and a football player to offer me a scholarship. They have been very gracious to recognize not only how difficult a decision this was, but also how important it was for me to be near family at this time. I take my commitments seriously, but as circumstances changed, the most important commitment is the one made to family.”"

Vanderdoes’ statement is not completely accurate, however. While reports surfaced this morning of Notre Dame releasing him from his scholarship, Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelley denied them, saying, “We did not release him from his national letter of intent in order to protect the integrity of that very important program.”

Because he was not released from his LOI, Vanderdoes will have to sit out a year, per NCAA rules. Rather than forgetting about Vanderdoes, Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies will now have to face the big pass rusher at least once a season starting in 2014.