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South Medford’s Cota is UCLA-bound Coach Bill Singler congratulates Chase Cota during Cota's announcement Thursday that he's committing to UCLA. [Mail Tribune / Andy Atkinson] Wednesday Dec 13, 2017 at 3:23 PM Dec 14, 2017 at 8:18 AM By Mike OxendineMail Tribune If he bleeds like a Duck and roots like a Duck, then he must be a … Bruin? South Medford High senior football star Chase Cota let the bear out of the bag Wednesday, formally announcing he would be taking his talents to Westwood — not Eugene — picking UCLA and coach Chip Kelly over Oregon to the chagrin of Ducks fans who had hoped to keep the local talent in-state. The four-star recruit revealed his decision before scores of South students and staff, family and media during a ceremony in the Panthers gym. The announcement by the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder was met with raucous cheers and applause. UCLA fired coach Jim Mora after Mora went 5-6 this season and then hired Kelly, the former Ducks and NFL coach, on a five-year, $23.3 million contract. “When I took my official visit (to UCLA) I really I liked it a lot and then once coach Kelly went, I was kind of like, ‘OK, I need to go because he knows what he’s doing,’” Cota said during his press conference. “There’s nothing against (Oregon),” Cota said. “I’m still always going to be a little bit of a Duck at heart. Growing up a fan, I hope for them the best luck in the future. I mean, it was just kind of my decision in the end and it wasn’t like I wanted to turn away from it or it was boring to stay home or anything like that. I just felt like it was right for me to go to UCLA. There’s no hard feelings for anything — they didn’t do anything wrong recruiting me and nothing’s wrong with any of the players — I just felt like UCLA was a better fit for me in the end.” Cota had narrowed his list of landing spots to seven midway through the fall. Under consideration were Oregon, Alabama, California, Georgia, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC. Cota’s final three choices boiled down to UCLA, Notre Dame and Oregon and two weeks ago he remained unclear on where he’d end up. He made his final decision on Dec. 5, the day before coach Willie Taggart left Oregon to join Florida State. “I wasn’t too worried about coach Taggart (leaving) because I was set on UCLA by then, but just having coach Kelly there — I mean, I always wanted to go there before, but there was the fear of coach Mora leaving,” Cota said. “But then just having (Kelly) there and just how good of a coach he is — I wouldn’t bet against him after what he did at Oregon. It was kind of just icing on the cake for me at that point.” A recent home visit by Kelly and UCLA’s receivers coach, Jimmie Dougherty, helped seal the deal, Cota said. “The way (Kelly) talked to me and the things he had to say about what he’s going to do, it’s kind of different than any other coach and he has a good vision,” Cota said. “He believes that he has all the resources there to be as good as possible and maybe win national championships in the near future.” Cota is the son of Chad Cota, who starred at Oregon prior to an eight-year NFL career. “It would’ve been perfect for me for him to go to Oregon, but it’s not my decision,” Chad Cota said after the ceremony. “Chase has really been a Duck his whole life, too, but he wants to carve his own path. That may be part of it — just something new, too. He’s been at Oregon and going to those games in Eugene for his whole life, so maybe something new for him, too, I think may be part of it. And the education there, too — UCLA’s a pretty prestigious academic university.” “The last thing as a parent, we don’t want him being at football camp and regretting that he’s gotta be somewhere that his parents or some family member or fans of the university think tried to make him go,” he added. “It’s his decision, it’s his college career and in the end we want him to be happy and content with where he’s at. And, you know, college football, it’s a job. And like anybody you want to love what you’re doing and love where you’re at. So I think for him at UCLA, that’s going to be the best situation for him.” Although Chase Cota downplayed the significance of Taggart’s departure to Florida State on his decision to not attend Oregon, the uncertainty that surrounds the Ducks program did play somewhat of a factor, Chad Cota said. “I think they’ve got a great coaching staff with (newly promoted head coach Mario) Cristobal and I think they’re going to be great, and you have Phil Knight as your leader of that program, you’re always going to be in a good situation,” he said. “But all of it and how it played it out — which, you know, that’s college football, how it is now. So here’s just so much uncertainty until the very end and for these recruits that does play into it a little bit, yes.” Cota is No. 2 on the Panthers’ career list for receiving yards with 2,696. In four years of varsity play, he set South Medford records of 165 receptions and 38 touchdowns. He also owns or shares several single-game records, including yards in a game — 282 yards on 10 catches, set in 2015; and most touchdowns in a game — four, achieved this season against North Medford. It’s rare for an athlete from Southern Oregon to draw a full scholarship from a top college program, Panthers football coach Bill Singler noted during the announcement ceremony. By signing with UCLA, Cota joins the former basketball star Kyle Singler, a national champion with Duke and veteran NBA player, as South Medford alums who drew national recruiting attention. “Both those kids were recruited by the top schools in the country,” Bill Singler said. “Kyle of course with Duke and Kansas, UCLA themselves. And so Chase getting recruited by USC, Alabama, UCLA — yeah, I think you put Chase in that conversation with Kyle as a highly touted all-American-type athlete. Going to a Power Five school, and not just a Power Five school, but a top Power Five school.” “Just getting to know Chase and getting to know who he is, I think what the school had to offer in every way was going to be important for him,” he added. “It wasn’t going to be just about football. Now, that was going to be an important issue — of course he checked out (who were the) receivers coming back and who was going to be his coordinator and his position coach and he did all his research — but bottom line is, I think, UCLA, overall, with all things considered, was his best fit.” Although he didn’t follow his father’s footsteps to Oregon, the prospect of Chase Cota becoming an NFL player isn’t far-fetched, Chad Cota said. “In the end goal, that would be great,” he said. “Playing for Chip Kelly, in his system, yeah, he could have the opportunity. We’ll see how it goes.” — Reach reporter Mike Oxendine at 541 776 4499 or [email protected].