UCLA Deemed One of CFB's Biggest Recruiting Winners in June

Seemingly no other a program had a better June than UCLA on the recruiting trail. Landing 15 of their 21 total commitments during the month, ESPN listed the Bruins as one of June's biggest winners as July looms.

ESPN hasn't updated its recruiting boards to show the Bruins losing four- and three-star wide receivers Jaron and Kennan Pula or the verbal pledge of three-star athlete Toray Davis, moves that actually dropped UCLA down from around the top-10 on various national recruiting rankings.

Nonetheless, the leading sports media corporation place the Bruins on its list among other hot recruiting schools like USC and Florida State. Here's what ESPN had to say about UCLA's red-hot June:

"Second-year Bruins coach DeShaun Foster is proving to be the recruiter he was expected to become when he replaced Chip Kelly at UCLA, and offseason staff additions of offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri and offensive line coach Andy Kwon are helping boost the program's presence on the recruiting trail.

In June, the Bruins added 14 total commitments. None was more significant than the June 7 pledge of offensive tackle Micah Smith, No. 46 in the 2026 ESPN 300. The top-ranked commit of the Foster era, Smith would arrive as UCLA's highest-rated offensive line addition since Xavier Su'a-Filo in the 2009 cycle. Paired with fellow ESPN 300 offensive tackle pledge Johnnie Jones, who committed June 9, the Bruins have the makings of a historic offensive line class after UCLA finished 107th in sacks allowed in 2024. Four-star passer Oscar Rios' commitment to Arizona over the Bruins on Friday was a miss, but is expected to remain a player in what remains of the 2026 quarterback market between now and the early signing period."

ESPN still has the Bruins ranked 12th in the nation despite sites like 247Sports, Rivals and On3 placing them 16th, 15th and 18th respectively on their 2026 national team recruiting rankings.

UCLA even being in these types of lists and conversations is an indictment on DeShaun Foster's cultural impact in just his first full offseason ahead of his second year at the helm in Westwood.

He has focused entirely on reaching out to high school prospects early and building long, sustaining relationships with them while prioritizing developing them into NFL talents. So far, the results are speaking for themselves, as Foster has cultivated Westwood's best recruiting class in over a decade.