Tag: UCLA bruins recruiting

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.

UCLA makes offer to son of former NFL running back Clinton Portis

The Bruins gave an offer to the son of Clinton Portis.

A potential trend is starting to emerge for UCLA’s recruiting.

After signing former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselback’s son Henry in December of 2023, the Bruins offered another prospect with an NFL bloodline.

Former rookie of the year and two-time Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis and his son stopped by Westwood this week, and their timing could not have been better.

Camden Portis, a potential two-way player from Indian Land High School in South Carolina, received an offer from the Bruins on March 4th. Portis, who played both defensive back and wide receiver, flaunts impressive athletic ability and versatility.

Though programs often prefer to recruit players with set positions, Portis has time to develop his skills in one way or another before his 2026 graduation.

Two-way players do exist in college football, however.

Travis Hunter, the Colorado Buffalos’ Paul Hornung award winner, given to the NCAA D-1 athlete with the most versatility, turned heads during his 2023 season. Though Hunter is a uniquely talented athlete, he could be the first of many two-way players in college football.

Could Camdin Portis be the next one for the Bruins?

UCLA hosts another 2026 defensive back prospect

The Class of 2026 players are making their way to UCLA.

The busy offseason for the UCLA Bruins continues, between recruiting and changes in the coaching staff. Now, the Bruins are hosting a potential defensive back for a visit.

Santa Margarita Catholic cornerback Jayden Crowder is set to visit the Bruins on Friday. Receiving offers from fellow BIG 10 programs, Washington and Michigan State, a good visit in Westwood for Crowder could help the Bruins rise on his list. Crowder, a California native, was invited to the Rivals Camp Series in Los Angeles last season.

Garnering the attention of high-end programs and clinics, Crowder, though a bit undersized, still has time to grow and develop into the player the programs hope he can be before graduating in 2026.

Crowder’s visit marks the second visit for a prospective defensive back that the Bruins have brought in after Chase Coleman, indicating that planning their future in the secondary is a priority.

Bringing Crowder to the program, whose tape shows him to be a ball-hawking zone corner and willing tackler, could lay the foundation for a great Bruins defense down the road, shutting down fellow BIG 10 offenses.

Class of 2025 defensive back announces visit to UCLA

The visits keep coming for DeShaun Foster and his program.

The UCLA Bruins landed a visit with one of the top all-around athletes in the country.

Chase Coleman, of Frisco, Texas, is a standout cornerback, track star, and basketball player. In early April, the college football hopeful will visit Westwood.

Coleman, the 6′ 3″ defensive back, boasts above-average size and ability. His tape shows him doing it all for Frisco Memorial High School throughout his junior season. Recording two interceptions, eight pass breakups, four blocked field goals, and a defensive touchdown, Coleman is a dynamic and versatile defender. Playing boundary corner, at his size, Coleman’s athleticism and playmaking skills make him a potential steal for the Bruins if they can land him as a prospect.

Visting from April 3rd to 6th, a good visit with new head coach DeShaun Foster could be huge in bringing in an undersung talent. A first-team all-district player in 2023, Coleman proves to be one of the best corners coming out of the Lone Star State.

The Bruins ranked 61st in passing yards allowed per game in 2023, in the middle of the pack. With room for improvement on their stellar defense last season, having a lockdown corner on the outside in the future like Coleman could secure the boundary for the Bruins for seasons to come.

UCLA makes offer to 3-star DL Trajen Odom

UCLA keeps extending offers after DeShaun Foster became the head coach.

The offers keep coming for the UCLA Bruins.

As winter turns to spring, UCLA is still hard at work trying to build their roster for the future.

This week, the Bruins extended an offer to three-start recruit Trajen Odom, per Tracy McDannald of Rivals (subscription required).

‘The Bruins and the assistant coaching staff continued to do just that Wednesday with an offer to Cary (N.C.) Weddington three-star edge rusher Trajen Odom…Odom is one of five out-of-state recruits this week to pick up an offer from the UCLA staff.’

The 6′ 5″, 265 lb defensive lineman from Cary, North Carolina, received a boatload of offers from schools such as North Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Ohio State.

At Panther Creek High School, Odom’s tape shows him plugging lanes and utilizing a lethal swim move at the line of scrimmage. With good pursuing speed and an ability to find the ball carrier in the backfield, any team in college football would want a player with his skillset and athleticism.

Given the other blue-blue programs that have made offers to Odom, the Bruins’ odds of landing him seem slim. However, it all comes down to fit.

With NIL considerations and playing time always a factor, joining a UCLA team that graduated several defensive linemen could pose a compelling opportunity for the junior.

Signing day is nearly a year away, but by laying the groundwork to land a player like Odom now, the Bruins keep themselves in the mix.

UCLA offers four-star quarterback Jared Curtis

UCLA offers four-star QB Jared Curtis.

The search for the future quarterback of the UCLA Bruins continues. This week, the Bruins made an offer to a four-star signal-caller.

Jared Curtis of Nashville Christian High School in Tennessee has received offers from all over the country. From Power-Five schools like Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, Florida, and Texas A&M, Curtis looks to be a hot commodity for college programs.

Ranked #1 in his class already, the rising junior from Nashville flaunts a college-ready build at 6′ 4″, 225 lbs, and an impressive athletic arsenal. With good pocket awareness, Curtis makes impressive plays on the ground and through the air. Given the need for athletic quarterbacks in today’s college game, Curtis’ dual-threat capabilities should translate quite well at the next level.

There will certainly be a bidding war for Curtis before he decides which program to attend. But if the Bruins this season can show improvement and make themselves an attractive destination in the BIG 10, they have the opportunity to entice Curtis and similar recruits. It puts a lot of pressure on first-year head coach DeShaun Foster.

The question is whether or not he delivers.