by BRENDAN PRUNTY, STAR-LEDGER STAFF , The Star-Ledger

Or, rather, Bruin.

Continuing the trend of improving its non-conference schedule for future seasons, Rutgers announced yesterday that it will play a home-and-home series with traditional PAC-10 power UCLA.

"We are excited for our football program and especially our fans to be playing UCLA," Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti said in a statement. "This series will have tremendous national appeal anchored in the two largest media markets in the country."

The only problem for Rutgers fans is the series won't begin until the 2016 season - seven years from now. That season, UCLA will travel to Piscataway and then Rutgers will return the home game the following season.

In their long football histories, the two schools have never crossed paths. In fact, Rutgers has only traveled to the state of California once - when it opened the 1999 season against Cal.

"We feel this will be an exciting West Coast-East Coast matchup," said Dan Guerrero, the UCLA athletic director. "Rutgers is one of the top programs in the Big East Conference."

Still, the addition of UCLA bolsters the process which Rutgers has already begun in beefing up its future non-conference schedules. In April, Pernetti announced future deals with Tulane (starting next season), Penn State (in 2014) and Miami (in 2018).

* Following up on three offensive linemen commitments in the past 10 days, coach Greg Schiano picked up two more recruits Wednesday.

The Scarlet Knights secured verbal commitments from running back Marcus Thompson of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., and wide receiver Jordan Thomas from Endicott, N.Y.

"I felt that I would fit well in the program," Thompson said. "It's something new for me - that whole atmosphere. The coaches were very helpful and made me feel comfortable."

Thompson, who is 6-2, 219 pounds, will become the latest in a long line of Rutgers recruits from Florida. A rising senior at Boyd Anderson High School (which has produced eight NFL players, including Philadelphia Eagles CB Asante Samuel), Thompson is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. While he currently plays running back, he said he might have a new role when he arrives in Piscataway.

"I like the offense that they run and I think I fit well," he said. "But (Coach Schiano) said that I would succeed on defense. . . . So I don't know, but he said I'd probably play linebacker."

Thomas, meanwhile, will hope to follow in the mold of first-round pick Kenny Britt at the wide receiver position. Also rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, the 6-1, 187-pound Thomas immediately felt a connection with the coaching staff.

"That was like the perfect transition for me," Thomas said. "I'm going to go into a system where I know that I'm going to get the best and they're going to get the best. It was basically a perfect relationship."

Brendan Prunty may be reached at bprunty@star-ledger.com

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