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UCLA Decommit Among Nations' Top Uncommitted Prospects

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Despite the improbable UCLA Bruins turnaround following a 0-4 start, one of the crucial fallouts of the firing of DeShaun Foster was the loss of over half of their 2026 recruiting class, which reached heights of a top-20 class in the nation.

The Bruins have still held on to two of four four-stars, Carter Gooden and Micah Smith, but lost some formidable talent, like four-stars David Schwertzel and Johnnie Jones and three-star defensive lineman Anthony Jones, who was listed in The Athletic's 10 most intriguing uncommitted 2026 prospects.

Grace Raynor, recruiting staff writer for the esteemed news outlet, updated the prospect's recruiting trail:

"There are two prospects named Anthony Jones in the Class of 2026. One is a five-star edge committed to Oregon from Mobile, Ala. The other is this Anthony Jones, a three-star defensive lineman from Southern California who decommitted from UCLA shortly after DeShaun Foster was let go.

"Jones initially committed to the Bruins over Washington and Tennessee and received offers early in the year from USC, San Diego State, Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, Wake Forest and others. Despite his ranking in the mid-500s, he’s attracted Power 4 talent before and could be a nice late get for a program looking to add depth along its line."

Anthony Jones Evaluation

Jones committed to the Bruins on May 15, took a visit to Westwood on June 6, and decommitted from UCLA immediately after Foster's dismissall on Sep. 14.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins evaluated the Irvine, California prospect:

"Jones’ body has taken a radical transformation over the last year but that might not be a bad thing. He put on 40 pounds since last Spring and we now see him more as an interior defensive lineman than an outside edge rusher. He was a solid edge rusher who won with power and length but wasn’t especially twitchy. As a defensive tackle or three-tech however, he should have a quickness advantage of opposing guards and should be able to overwhelm centers with his size and raw power.

"He has an 80+ wingspan, has always been good with his hands and we’ve always liked his compete level. One of his coaches told us he has NFL upside as an offensive tackle although he hasn’t played the position nearly as much as defensive line. We do like the positional versatility and it will be interesting to watch his continued physical development but the long term potential is still there to play on Sunday’s."

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