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.