Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Before even having reported to campus for summer school and work outs, Eddie Vanderdoes has been granted permission by Notre Dame to leave the Fighting Irish program and will instead sign with UCLA, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Eddie Vanderdoes makes it official: Says via text that he thanks Notre Dame for lifting recruiting ban,allowing him to sign with UCLA.

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) June 4, 2013

In late May, news surfaced that Vanderdoes was seeking a release from Notre Dame and initially it looked as if he would not get it. Things have evidently since changed, and Vanderdoes will head to Los Angeles to begin summer school on June 24.

Though Notre Dame ultimately lifted the recruiting ban on him, they did not let him go scott-free. According to Joe Schad of ESPN, the Fighting Irish did not release Vanderdoes from his Letter of Intent and he will only be eligible for three years of play with the Bruins.

Vanderdoes cites family reasons as his motive for being willing to give up a year of football just to get out of Notre Dame, but for the Fighting Irish, this could be worrisome.

The Irish did not want to release Vanderdoes from his LOI, as they were worried that he would rejoin their rivals, USC. Though this will ultimately not be the case, this development with Vanderdoes does make things interesting for the Trojans, who are currently involved in a similar situation with five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas.

Thomas signed with Florida State in February, but made it clear even then that it was not his choice. In May, Thomas announced he was seeking a release from the university to pursue an opportunity at either USC or Georgia. That situation is still pending, but Notre Dame’s decision with Vanderdoes could influence the Seminoles to do them same, or even release Thomas entirely.

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

In yet another twist in the 2013 recruiting class, word has come out that Eddie Vanderdoes might not end up playing for Notre Dame, as reported by the Sacramento Bee’s Joe Davidson.

Vanderdoes signed with the Irish on Signing Day, but according to Davidson, Note Dame’s listing of Vanderdoes on their media release of signees before his announcement didn’t go over well with the Vanderdoes family, and could be a source of frustration. Though, as Davidson is quick to point out, “[internet] speculation about Vanderdoes ranged from character concerns to an academic fall out”, which both the family and coaches close to the defensive lineman deny.

As of now, Vanderdoes’s future is up in the air, and the college football world will have to wait and see how it all plays out, which basically repeats the month of January.

The initial thought is that a Vanderdoes release would play right into the hand of Jim Mora and UCLA. The Bruins were runners-up for Vanderdoes, along with USC and Alabama, and injury concerns have mounted tremendously on defense in Westwood. Defensive end Datone Jones is now playing with the Green Bay Packers, and Owamagbe Odighizuwa has struggled with injuries this offseason, with conflicting reports about the severity.

Last week, the LA Times reported that the junior had a season-ending hip injury. Today, CBS Sports is reporting that Mora says the injury isn’t that serious. Whether or not Odighizuwa is 100 percent healthy or not come August, the Bruins still have a need on the defensive line and Vanderdoes’s past interest in UCLA may link them to the Auburn, Calif. native.

However, the Vanderdoes case isn’t strictly confined to UCLA being an obvious suitor if Notre Dame isn’t the landing spot. The Trojans were very much in the mix going into February, and when it was last discussed, the relationship between he and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron was good.

Yet, regardless of any degree of interest Vanderdoes has in USC, the Trojans will have a horse in the race, given the similarities to the ongoing drama with the Matthew Thomas story.

Thomas, a fellow five-star recruit, wants to play at USC or Georgia and is seeking a release from Florida State, who have held firm that they won’t release him in hopes of avoiding what they consider to be the setting of a precedence and the opening of Pandora’s box.

But if Vanderdoes officially looks for a release from Notre Dame, could the Irish beat Jimbo Fisher to the punch by granting it? Should Vanderdoes get released, Florida State’s hands could be severely tied with Thomas, perhaps coaxing them to release him.

It’s still far too early to see how any of this plays out, but could we actually be looking at an absolutely bizarre scenario in which USC could somehow benefit from Notre Dame allowing a player to walk and go to UCLA?

Vanderdoes, a Placer, CA native had been committed to the Trojans for months before he de-committed surprisingly in December. He then added UCLA, Washington, Notre Dame and Alabama to the mix, and raved about each program respectively.

It was hard to gauge whether he would return to USC, as he stopped talking to the media in the month leading up to National Signing Day. Come Wednesday, surrounded by family and friends at his high school in Northern California, he decided that South Bend was the right fit.

The loss of Vanderdoes is by far one of the biggest blows USC’s Class of 2013 suffered.

The six-foot-three, 310-pound five-star defensive tackle would be a big addition to the Trojan defensive line, both for his behemoth size and versatility. He has a very promising future as a defensive tackle, and having to play against him is going to make USC’s coaches’s stomachs churns.

Vanderdoes is the the last athlete USC had on the board for 2013, and with his absence, the Trojans new class of signees stands at 13 players, including early enrollees and Darreus Rogers.

For more National Signing Day coverage, visit SaturdayBlitz.com.