Tag: UCLA bruins recruiting

Top CB in 2026 class announces UCLA as one of ten finalists

The Bruins make the cut.

The #1 cornerback in the 2026 class, RJ Sermons announced on Tuesday listed the UCLA Bruins as one of his ten finalists according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Recruits. 

“NEWS: Elite 2026 CB RJ Sermons is down to 10 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits The 6’1 185 CB from Rancho Cucamonga, CA is ranked as the No. 1 CB in the ‘26 Class (per On3).” Fawcett tweeted on X.

UCLA is one of six Big Ten schools that are finalists for Sermons, joining Oregon, USC, Michigan, Penn State and Washington. SEC schools Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia are also finalists along with Notre Dame. 

Of the schools that are finalists for Sermons, USC is the heavy favorite according to On3 Recruits, which gives the Trojans over a 93% chance to land the defensive back with Oregon in second place with just a 1.8% chance. The Trojans may have the upper hand as Sermons’ father, Rodney Sermons, was a running back for USC 1994-1997 where he scored eight total touchdowns and over 1,300 yards from scrimmage.

Sermons visited the Coliseum earlier this month to see USC defeat Nebraska 28-20 where he told On3 Recruits’ reporter Chad Simmons that “USC definitely has that home feel.”

Sermons, the four-star recruit, is a junior at Rancho Cucamonga High School which is less than two hours away from the Rose Bowl. Sermons helped the Cougars go 6-5 in 2024, losing in the first round of CIF Division 2 playoffs to Murrieta Valley with Sermons making seven tackles and a pass defensed in the loss.

How bad has UCLA football’s first season in the Big Ten been?

Why context matters for UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten.

UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten has been up and down. From a first-week win over Hawai’i to several Big Ten blowouts, the 2024 college football season has been a rollercoaster for the Bruins.

That said, as the season rolls on, one thing has become abundantly clear: UCLA’s season is hardly as bad as it looks on paper when in context.

The Bruins have lost to five teams this season: Indiana, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, and Minnesota. Those teams hold an astonishing 37-6 combined record. Though overmatched in each of these losses, the Bruins still showed effort, toughness, and fight.

Now at 3-5, the Bruins have strung together consecutive wins over Rutgers and Nebraska in the Big Ten, proving they can beat Big Ten opponents, not simply compete with them. Though not the most talented roster in the Big Ten, credit is due to DeShaun Foster and his coaching staff as they continue to show signs of improvement. 

The Bruins have only four games remaining on their schedule, none of which are against ranked opponents. While it is unlikely the Bruins will win out, there should be cautious optimism for the direction of the program and their end-of-season win total. 

Having faced a murderer’s row of opponents in their first season in the Big Ten, the Bruins are a better team today than at the beginning of the season. If those improvements can continue, by this time next year, the Bruins could have more than bowl aspirations in the Big Ten as they bring in another talented recruiting class.

UCLA football in the running for four-star wide reciever

UCLA has some stiff competition for a top-tier wide receiver.

The UCLA Bruins have found themselves in another bidding war for a talented prospect. After silencing the doubters following their win over Rutgers, UCLA has a new-found confidence, a confidence they are hoping can translate to the recruiting game.

UCLA landed in four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s final ten schools this week. The 6′ 2″ standout from Inglewood, California, has his hometown Bruins in the running for his commitment alongside heavy hitters like Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, and Oregon, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Though UCLA’s competition remains stiff, the fact that the Bruins were the only California-based school is significant. Beating out California schools like USC, Cal, and Stanford, UCLA has something brewing behind the scenes in recruiting.

Time will tell if UCLA is truly a viable team in the Big Ten, but as head coach DeShaun Foster and the Bruins look to pick up wins late in the season, they have a puncher’s chance at landing a recruit of Dixon-Wyatt’s caliber by proving themselves this season.

Four-star power forward to visit UCLA in October

Mick Cronin has a big visit coming up soon.

Though the UCLA basketball season is still months away, recruiters for the Bruins are still hard at work. This week, the Bruins secured a visit from a class of 2025 player who is fresh off of an inspired performance.

Nikolas Khamenia, a 6′ 8″ power forward from Studio City, California, will visit the Bruins on October 3rd according to On3’s Jamie Shaw. Also visiting Duke and North Carolina, Khamenia is making the rounds with college basketball’s blue bloods. Following an MVP performance at the FIBA U18 3×3 World Cup, Khamenia’s stock is at an all-time high.

With the Bruins needing help in the paint, both offensively and defensively following the departure of Adem Bona, Khamenia offers them the perfect solution to their problems down low.

Though their competition is stiff, the Bruins have the benefit of a track record of recruiting local talent and a 23.2% chance of landing Khamenia based on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. If Khamenia can be swayed by the Bruins’ newest transfers and their proximity to his home, UCLA could have a true superstar on their hands.

UCLA picks up commitment from three-star tight end

Welcome to Westwood!

The Bruins continued to round out their 2025 class this week by adding a three-star tight end that they went hard at in recruiting.

Dylan Sims, who the Bruins offered and hosted for a visit back in May, announced on X his official commitment to UCLA. The 6′ 6″ tight end from Queen Creek, Arizona, chose the Bruins over several Power-Four schools, including TCU, Kansas, Minnesota, Duke, and Iowa State.

Given the Bruins’ new offense under coordinator Eric Bieniemy and potential four-star staring quarterback Madden Iamaleava in the class of 2025, Sims could be a part of UCLA’s rebuild for the future under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster.

UCLA continues to build its recruiting class during the off-season, and it is beginning to take shape. Targeting players with good size, side, and athleticism, the Bruins know that to compete with fellow BIG 10 competitors, they will need to be dynamic on both sides of the ball, and Sims is the perfect example.

UCLA Bruins host class of 2028 edge defender Marcus Fakatou

The Bruins are hosting players at Spring practice.

The UCLA Bruins are doing their work to prepare for the future. In this case, far into the future. Last weekend, the Bruins hosted a class of 2028 recruit at their spring practice, Marcus Fakatou.

The Orange Lutheran product from Fontana, CA, who could graduate after the DeShaun Foster era, depending on his success, already has college-level size. At 6’7″ and 260 pounds, Fakatou is a massive player off the edge and has a chance to continue growing.

Though planning this far ahead could be potentially a fruitless endeavor, hosting Fakatou cements the fact that the UCLA Bruins are playing the long game in Westwood.

The Bruins have already offered players from the 2026 recruiting class and have made a good impression, it seems, on Fakatou. With his size and potential to play at the college level, Fakatou could be a hot commodity for recruiters down the line.

So, it remains to be seen whether the Bruins doing their due diligence pays off, but for now, it shows that they are all in on the future.

Class of 2025 receiver meets with DeShaun Foster on UCLA visit

Class of 2025 WR met with DeShaun Foster during his recent visit.

Another potential UCLA receiver visited Westwood this week. 

Tamatoa Semaia, a wideout from Oak Hills, California, made the trip west to visit UCLA. The 6′ 0″ receiver met with head coach DeShaun Foster at the Bruins facility. The recent swell of receivers the Bruins have had in on visits is an indication that they are looking to restock the position for the future. With senior Kyle Ford entering the transfer portal this week, the Bruins are smartly looking to maintain depth on their roster for the future. 

Though Semaia will be graduating in 2025, making sure they have a plan for the position is necessary for building a team in the new era of transferring players. 

Semaia has not made a decision on where he will attend, nor has an offer been extended to him, but the Bruins are doing their diligence and keeping their stokes in recruiting fire.

The Bruins remain eager to add talent to their team, now making the jump to the BIG 10, and Foster looks to want to be a serious part of it. By showing up for the visits, he is making a concerted effort to be a part of the recruiting process for all potential future Bruins.

4-star OT includes UCLA as potential landing spot

Austin Pay has UCLA in a long list of suitors.

A highly recruited offensive tackle has a lot of options to choose from at the next level. The UCLA Bruins are in the mix.

Austin Pay, a 6′ 7″ offensive tackle from Lone Peak, Utah, has received offers from some of the best schools in college football. Fielding offers from SEC bluebloods like Auburn and Texas A&M to BIG 12 powerhouses like Oklahoma State and Iowa State, Pay has a lot of offers on the table.

Notably, for Bruins fans, UCLA remains firmly in the mix. With Pay’s prototypical left tackle size and senior year of high school still to play, one of the biggest unsigned tackles could get even bigger.

Though the Bruins compete with some top-tier programs in college football, including BIG 10 for Oregon, the Bruins make sense as a fit for Pay.

With punishing blocks in the run game and the athleticism to defend the quarterback from edge rushers, Pay is a do-it-all player who could help the Bruins’ run-first and play-action scheme.

The question that remains, however, is, can the Bruins close the deal?

UCLA Bruins listed as finalist for four-star QB Madden Iamaleava

Bruins in the running for Madden Iamaleava.

The UCLA Bruins got some good news on the recruiting front this week.

The Bruins extended an offer to Madden Iamaleava, a four-star quarterback recruit from Warren High School in Downy, California, in February. Now, the Bruins are one of two remaining teams on the Iamaleava radar. 

According to Rivals‘ Adam Gorney, the Bruins and the Nebraska Cornhuskers are the final two teams Iamaleava is pursuing before his commitment. Given the Cornhuskers’ recent struggles, going only 5-7 in 2023, the Bruins have a good chance to land Iamaleava. 

With new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Bruins are an attractive destination to young quarterbacks looking to play under Patrick Mahomes’ former coordinator. 

“I would say UCLA and Nebraska are the top two right now,” Iamaleava said. 

Landing Iamaleava would be the sign that the Bruins, in the wake of Chip Kelly’s departure, are still an attractive program to young players.

With the Bruins now in the BIG 10, being able to collect some of the best talent in the country could the program build for the future and make them a potential contender for the conference title. 

2025 No. 11 overall prospect has UCLA in final 10

The Bruins are in the final 10 for a talented hoops recruit.

It looks like the UCLA Bruins made a good impression on potential future players.

Will Riley, who received an offer from the Bruins in February, has widdled down his options to ten programs, per Jamie Shaw of On3. The 6′ 8″ forward now will choose from UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Villanova, Alabama, the G-League, NBL, and London Lions. 

Though Riley has nearly a dozen teams to choose from, UCLA remains firmly in the mix. But the recent struggles from the sliding Bruins could make them an undesirable destination given the other successful blue bloods listed. Interestingly, the NCAA programs also compete with the G-League, NBL, and London Lions. 

That said, with NIL money flooding to highly-touted prospects, the college route looks to be the most lucrative and traditional path for Riley.  

It looks like an uphill battle for the Bruins to land Riley. Unless they make an improbable Pac-12 tournament run and make the NCAA tournament, the Bruins’ odds do not look great.

But if, like so many other fellow former Bruins, the pedigree and history of the program compels Riley, UCLA has as good a shot as any of the other nine teams to land him.