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SCOUT'S TAKE

Skinny: Last season there were some thoughts that Verner would come out early. After a second team All-Pac 10 performance in which he had 18 pass break-ups, 73 total tackles, and two interceptions, it’s easy to see why. However, after filing the paperwork only to receive a late-round grade, Verner decided to return to UCLA. The Bruins are thankful for that decision. With his excellent speed and acceleration, Verner has the ability to be a top-notch cover man in the NFL. He has good size at 5-11, 187 pounds, and can anticipate where the ball will be thrown and break on it very effectively.

Quote of Note: "He is a unique individual and he is as advertised. He is just a model citizen, a great leader, a great role model for the young kids in the secondary as well as the kids on the team. And I think a legitimate NFL prospect. It's fun to be around him. He will hopefully flourish as a senior."

-- UCLA Head Coach Rick Neuheisel on Alterraun Verner

NEWS

Shrine Stock: Alterraun Verner (CB) - A technician who applies very tight coverage, but sometimes makes contact too early. Can you say pass interference?

East-West Shrine Game: Alterraun Verner (DB - UCLA) had one of the best plays of the day.  With Emmanuel Sanders about to haul in a sideline pass, Verner slashed in front of the receiver, high pointed the pass, and picked it off.  He also was able to get both feet in bounds as he fell to the turf, drawing “oohs” from the crowd of scouts on the sideline. – Draft Guys (01.19.10)

11.15.09 - True senior cornerback ALTERRAUN VERNER (#1), a pre-season All-America selection, is a semifinalist for the 2009 Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back) and was a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy, presented to the nation’s top defensive player. He was also on the 2009 pre-season “watch list” of the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Award (both for the nation’s top defender). He was selected second-team All-Pac-10 last season and earned a spot on the Pac-10’s All-Academic first team for the second straight year. Verner has three interceptions and ranks 58th (tied) in the NCAA, fourth (tied) in the Pac-10 and second (tied) on the team with his average of 0.30 interceptions per game. He is third on the squad with his 60 tackles (6.00 average, tied for 17th in Pac-10). Verner made two tackles versus San Diego State. He also scored the fourth touchdown of his career when he returned a blocked field goal attempt 70 yards for a score. At Tennessee, he made six tackles and an interception. In the victory versus Kansas State, he made two interceptions, to increase his career total to 11, and added five tackles. At Stanford, he led the Bruins with 12 tackles. He made five stops versus Oregon. In the California game, he made seven tackles. He made five tackles, including one for loss, at Arizona. He made nine tackles, one shy of the team high, at Oregon State. In the win over Washington, he made seven tackles, including one for loss, and broke up one pass, At Washington State, he had two solo tackles, including one for loss, and broke up a pass. In 2008, Verner ranked second on the squad with 73 tackles and led the nation with 1.67 pass defenses per game. Verner has scored four touchdowns in his career and has returned three interceptions for TDs, tying the school record held by Jerry Robinson (1975-78), Marcus Turner (1985-88) and Spencer Havner (2002-05). - UCLA Media Relations

05.08.09 - Verner has eight career picks, three of which he has returned for touchdowns, including a game-clinching 76-yard return for a score in UCLA's 30-21 victory over Cal in 2007. That play represents a peak that the Bruins haven't achieved since. That victory raised their record to 5-2. They have gone 5-13 since.

01.14.09 - UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner, who led the nation in passes defensed last season, will return to play his senior season for the Bruins. Verner was credited with two interceptions and 18 passes defensed, an average of 1.67 per game -- tops in the country. He was a second-team All-Pac 10 cornerback as chosen by the league's coaches.

09.14.08 - The Bruins' plan was to disrupt Brigham Young's offense by playing cornerback Alterraun Verner on Cougars wide receiver Austin Collie. Collie had 10 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-0 BYU victory. And Verner was left with no choice but to admire Collie's handiwork. "I knew he would do curls, but I didn't think he would do so many as he did in the beginning," Verner said. "He runs good routes and the one thing that surprised me was his catching ability. Some of those he made, I don't know how he got."