Anthony Wilson
LOS ANGELES — Aiming to be more visible, more accessible and more personal, UCLA held its spring showcase inside the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly a decade this past weekend.
It’s an approach the Bruins have also taken to their talent acquisition efforts. A program that is coming out of last place in Big Ten recruiting rankings It is hired just 10 high school students in the class of 2024 literally reopened its doors.
In the two months since Chip Kelly left the building on his way to Ohio State, the Bruins have hatched a different plan. They sent out more invitations to campus and started offering seniors again. They packed backstage at their inaugural Friday Night Lights event, which coach DeShaun Foster estimated drew more than 100 recruits, and that new buzz continued on Saturday when they welcomed a loaded group of prospects back to the Rose Bowl.
“People keep telling us they feel a different energy at UCLA now,” director of player personnel Stacey Ford said. “The plan is to be as open and inclusive as possible for the city of Los Angeles. We want to be extremely engaging and for the whole city to see what we do.”
This is in stark contrast to how distant the program seemed to recruits over the previous six seasons. Under Kelly, only Clemson offered fewer scholarships than UCLA among FBS teams, but perhaps most detrimental to their roster construction was how late the Bruins got involved in recruiting. When UCLA put its name in the hat for a recruit, it was already three or four steps behind.
In two short months, the pace has seemingly accelerated — more than 70 high school seniors in the Class of 2025 have offers from UCLA and nearly two dozen official visits are on the calendar over the next four weekends, according to the 247Sports database. With plenty of space and time left, UCLA has four commitments in its 53rd-ranked Class of 2025. Its 2024 cycle ranked 90th nationally.
More: Latest look at UCLA offensive recruiting targets in the 2025 class
To pull the necessary strings, the Bruins revamped their recruiting office by hiring Butler Benton (general manager), Chris Carter (assistant general manager) and the aforementioned Ford, who previously spent two years as director of recruiting at Washington State and played his role. high school prom at the Cathedral, just a nine-mile drive south of Pasadena.
The personnel department leads a singular effort to realize Foster’s vision of a reinvented UCLA.
“The goal is to change the narrative,” said Carter, who played seven seasons at NFL after being selected in the fifth round of the draft in 2011 out of Fresno State. “We want to take UCLA back to what it was before. From a recruiting perspective, we want to change the climate.
“This is Los Angeles. We need to get back into the community and we don’t want to waste that resource, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to hand out offers to just anyone. Some people might not like it, but it’s no different than going to the club. Not everyone gets in. You It has to be elite.
Coveted tackle Darius Afalava is among the players who recently received an offer from UCLA. The three-star forward from Lehi (Utah) Skyridge had more than 20 scholarship offers to his name before the Bruins entered the picture four weeks ago, and although he had to wait, he said it’s a significant option in his equation.
“It really came out of nowhere,” Afalava said. “This new coaching staff really likes me and I like their intentions. I feel like it’s even more energetic since they arrived. I’ve scheduled my official visit for May 10.”
Kelly’s quarterback recruitment at Westwood was particularly intriguing. He inherited former four-star Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who initially committed to Jim Mora, before seeing the likes of Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, CJ Stroud and Nico Iamaleava leave town. The Bruins finally scored a big win by drafting five-star Dante Moore out of Oregon, only to lose him to the Ducks after his only season at UCLA. As selective and exclusive as the offers to Kelly were, the legwork fell short and this is another aspect that the new team aims to improve.
Local four stars Madden IamaleavaNico’s brother has the Bruins at the top of his list ahead of official visits, while a handful of quarterbacks in the 2026 class, including four-star Jaden O’Neal from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne, received offers from UCLA. O’Neal is ranked as the No. 6 quarterback in 2026.
“The biggest thing for me is that DeShaun always reached out and always had that relationship,” O’Neal quarterbacks coach Ortege Jenkins said. “The difference now is that coaches have the ability to offer and increase their recruitment. They didn’t have this ability before. Chip was stuck with the defenders and maybe that’s why they lost so many players.
Jenkins highlighted new coaches Eric Bienemy (offensive coordinator) and Ted White (quarterbacks coach). Bienemy, of course, comes from the NFL, where he won two Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. An engaging presence, White has coached all over the world, from the NFL (Texans), to the Big Ten (Maryland), to the HBCU ranks (several schools) and even the UFL (the DC Defenders in 2020).
“When we went on the tour last month, we loved the energy and transparency of the coaches,” Jenkins said. “They will be more aggressive and opening the door makes a big difference. The culture is changing for the better.”
Top247 running back Brian Bonner, a four-star prospect in the 2026 class from neighboring Valencia, Calif., walked into the stadium on Saturday with an offer from the Bruins already in hand and left knowing he’s a top-of-the-field target. advice for Foster, who has delivered a personal speech.
“I stand out to him because I’m a taller running back like him,” said the speedy Bonner, who has posted impressive track times this spring. “I feel like UCLA would be a good place for me to be coached by coach Foster.”
The 44-year-old Foster has yet to coach a game, of course, so there are still plenty of questions to be answered about the on-field product, especially considering the quality and depth in the Big Ten. However, it’s clear that the former Carolina Panthers star running back has, at the very least, provided a refreshing shock to a team that desperately needed some electricity off the field.
“It’s been incredible to see the energy of the team and players rise to a whole different level,” said three-star linebacker Weston Port, the first commit in the class at UCLA. “There seems to be a lot of excitement around the new head coaching change in the building. I had the opportunity to train a few weeks ago and, as a recruit, I have never been to a training session with so much energy and enthusiasm.
“I was excited to see how the entire team is ready to take the football program to new heights.”
