A few months ago, Kalan Ellis was a junior student-athlete with no college football scholarship offers.
On Wednesday, the 6-foot-5, 358-pound offensive lineman corralled his fourth offer. UCLA became the latest FBS program to covet the services of the powerful Ellis. A week earlier, Virginia came calling. In addition to opportunities at Hawaii and Syracuse, Ellis now has four offers and the avalanche is likely to commence soon for the 3.5 grade-point average Crusader.
“Their recruiter asked for my transcripts in April,” said Ellis, who hadn’t heard from the Bruins again until Wednesday. “I actually was surprised. They looked at my video and they asked Coach Ron (Lee) and Coach Cal (Lee) about me. I feel excited. That’s my first Pac-12 offer.”
Ellis has been on campus at Westwood.
“I actually went to UCLA in my ninth-grade year. Our (Saint Louis) O-line entered a Jesse Sapolu tournament. We met Jesse and visited the campus. It’s really nice,” he said. “UCLA is one of the first to get new equipment when it comes out. I remember them trying out new equipment.”
Saint Louis senior/graduate Matt Sykes signed with UCLA.
“I’m going to start communicating with Matt and ask him what got him interested in that school,” Ellis said.
Ellis spoke with offensive line coach Justin Fry on Wednesday.
“I like their coaching staff because (head coach) Chip Kelly has a good history with so many schools in college, and the NFL,” he said.
Virginia is home to former Kahuku standout Samson Reed, a defensive end.
"I communicated with two coaches (Mark Atuaia, Garrett Tujague). They said they like the way I play on the field, especially my movement side to side," said Ellis, who also played basketball at Saint Louis under new coach Dan Hale.
“Honestly, they’re both hard-working schools. I know they want me pretty bad and want a relationship with me,” said Ellis, who has a max of 585 pounds on the squat rack.
At Saint Louis, he lined up at left tackle last season.
“(Virginia’s) RC (recruiting coordinator) said they’d talk about it more later,” said Ellis, who is comfortable on the edge. “An offensive tackle has to call out the linebacker coming in. Most of the time, though, it’s one on one.”
As for basketball, Ellis expects to suit as a senior next season.
"I hope I can play in that brand-new gym," he added.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 shows
1. Dragonball Z (Netflix, YouTube). “I’ve watched that since I was little and they’re coming out with new stuff. They’’ come out with the Japanese version first. It’s about a month or two to wait for the version with subtitles.”
2. Pirates of the Caribbean. “That’s my favorite movie. I’ve seen it more than 100 times as a franchise.”
3. Fail videos (YouTube).
Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Hot dog and pork and beans. “It doesn’t have to be fancy. My mom (Penny) makes it good. She adds brown sugar and bacon. My uncle (Paul Serikawa) makes it good, too. He adds more meat, I think Portuguese sausage. I eat it on rice.”
2. Jack in the Box. “The No. 7 Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger with curly fries, chocolate shake, and one side of two tacos.”
3. L&L in Waimanalo. “It’s near my house. Loco moco, egg over easy. Or the garlic chicken, hamburger steak, chicken katsu. Or McDonald’s. I love McChicken (sandwiches). That’s the No. 1 thing I order from there.”
New skill
Ellis: “Not really. I’m probably going to get a summer job so I can make money and get my own stuff. Maybe Longs (Drugs, Kailua) because my mom works there.”
Shout outs
Ellis: “Shout out to my cousin, Akamu Makua. He’s been helping me train all day at my other cousin’s house at Waimanalo Homestead.”
Progress
Ellis: “I can actually bench two plates now (225 pounds). I could barely do one plate before. Squat, I can do six plates on each side (585 pounds). Legs are the strongest part for me. When I was younger, I rode my bike, but I’m too big now.”
Favorite lineman
Ellis: “Tyrone Smith of Dallas. He’s on my favorite team. I was on the field when they played the Rams (last August). We won first place at the Rams’ event (at ‘Iolani) and we got sideline passes. I met Aaron Donald.”
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