What Does Gooden Pledge Mean for this 4-Star DL?

Not only did UCLA land priority four-star defensive lineman Carter Gooden on Thursday, but his Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy trenches teammate, three-star Marcus Almada, also committed. So, what does this mean for UCLA's ongoing pursuit of four-star defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais?

Including Gooden, who was recruited to play edge for the Bruins, UCLA has landed five recruits on the defensive line in the class of 2026 -- Gooden, Alamada, David Schwerzel (four-star), Yahya Gaad (three-star) and Anthony Jones.

Umu-Cais, "TI" for short, included UCLA in his top-5 schools just over a week ago, along with North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Colorado. TI is the No. 1 prospect out of Colorado for the class and we are still unsure when a decision is coming.

Will the Bruins' sudden abundance at the position dissuade him from choosing Westwood? UCLA surely wouldn't mind another powerhouse in the trenches. Hopefully it doesn't

Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247Sports, said this in his update on Umu-Cais:

"Englewood Cherry Creek four-star defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais is Colorado's No. 1 player — and while the two right behind him announced their respective commitments on June 28, Umu-Cais simply narrowed his list down to a final five that same day and has still yet to name a commitment date.

"One was home-state Colorado. The others were North Carolina, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington. He visited all of those except Oklahoma, but the Sooners did get the state's top offensive recruit in Schmitt. It has seemingly been a UCLA-Washington battle for Umu-Cais, but Colorado and North Carolina are still involved here."

247Sports insider Tracy Pierson, for BruinReportOnline,  also revealed promising updates for TI and UCLA's chances at acquiring him.

"The feeling is that it's UCLA, UW or Stanford for TI, and could come down to UCLA and UW," Pierson wrote.

""TI", as he's always referred to, is so good I was tempted to put him No. 1 on this list," he said. "He's a beast. And he's at a high-priority position -- nose tackle.  He's also a good student (with a Stanford offer). He's physically developed enough -- and just plain good enough -- that you could see him getting immediate playing time. He could be UCLA's anchor on the defensive line, a Jay Toia type, for multiple seasons."

Adding Umu-Cais to UCLA's already historically great 2026 recruiting class would do the class wonders, bolstering it even further. The Bruins have secured 23 commitments and sit at 19th in the nation on 247Sports' national team recruiting ranking.