There was a point this season when it felt like UCLA was going to have a hard time convincing recruits to commit to the Bruins. However, after two straight wins, interim head coach Tom Skipper and his staff are using that momentum to help them on the recruiting trail.
The Bruins have been active in the 2026 cycle, but they're also looking ahead to future cycles, most recently offering a 2028 wide receiver.
On October 13, the Bruins offered Hayden Koo, a three-star wide receiver from Tustin High School in Tustin, California. Koo is the 16th player UCLA has offered in the 2028 cycle and the fifth wide receiver.
Koo shared on X that his offer from the Bruins came following his conversation with Marshawn Friloux, UCLA's director of recruiting operations, and Khary Darlington, the team's general manager.
All glory to God!!! After an amazing conversation with @GMDarlington and @CoachMarshawn I am blessed to receive and offer from UCLA. #gobruins @GregBiggins @PGregorian @mikehuntley63 @ChadSimmons_ @BlairAngulo @BrandonHuffman @ocvarsityguy @adamgorney @CHawk_4 @Realregular4… pic.twitter.com/IFErKKTvON
— Hayden Koo 3⭐️WR (@Haydenkoo0) October 13, 2025
247Sports' composite rankings list Koo as the No. 188 overall prospect in the class, the No. 35 wide receiver, and the No. 18 player from California. The Bruins are just the fourth school to offer him, alongside North Carolina, Arizona State, and Sacramento State.
It's still very early in his process as Koo is only in his sophomore year at Tustin, but getting an offer out to him while he's relatively under-recruited should allow UCLA to start building a strong relationship with him before other programs get involved.
The Bruins have had some bad luck on the recruiting trail in the weeks following the firing of former head coach DeShaun Foster, with many prospects in their 2026 class decommitting.
However, after logging back-to-back wins over Penn State and Michigan State under Skipper, the program seems to have stabilized. While they haven't gained any commitments since Skipper took over in the interim, the buzz around UCLA is growing, and it could prove to be massive for their recruiting success.
Sending an offer to Koo signals that the Bruins' recruiting staff, led by Friloux and Darlington, is still planning for the future even without a permanent head coach. That's a good sign for Bruins fans and should significantly help the program in the long run.
While Koo likely won't make his decision anytime soon, UCLA has already asserted itself as a contender to win his recruitment.
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