Oct 25, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Key Lawrence (4) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

UCLA Making Progress With Top 2027 Safety

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Max Dorsey | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 8:00 AM ET

When Bob Chesney was hired by UCLA a couple of months ago, one of his top priorities was to restore the Bruins' recruiting prominence on the West Coast.

Over the weekend, the Bruins hosted a Junior Day, one of the first major recruiting events of Chesney’s tenure. Several elite prospects attended, including a 4-star California safety who, after his visit, appears highly interested in the new era of UCLA football.

Bruins Standing Out to Four-Star In-State Safety

Throughout the 2027 cycle, the Bruins have been targeting Gavin Williams, a four-star safety from Damien High School in La Verne, California. The previous UCLA staff offered him back in January 2025, and the new staff has been working to make a strong early impression on the young defensive back.

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Over the weekend, the new staff finally got Williams on campus. After his trip to Westwood, he spoke with Rivals’ Adam Gorney about the experience. The four-star safety explained that it was a great visit and admitted that, although he wasn’t previously very interested in the program, he now wants to return to UCLA this spring.

“It was a great junior day visit for UCLA,” Williams told Gorney. “It helped them for sure because honestly I wasn’t looking at them as much but after this junior day I feel like I’m going to come back in the spring and see a couple practices.”

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Williams went on to say that the new UCLA staff feels different from the previous one and noted that Chesney has won everywhere he has coached.

“I like the new staff. I’ve been to UCLA many times over the years but this staff feels different,” Williams told Gorney. He later added, “It seems more serious and his resume, they’ve really won everywhere they’ve been and you can just see it.”

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For most of Williams’ recruitment, USC has been the clear frontrunner. However, given his comments about his recent trip to Westwood, there’s a strong chance the Bruins could compete with the Trojans in the coming months.

Williams would be a massive addition to UCLA’s 2027 class. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 144 overall player nationally, the No. 14 safety, and the No. 12 prospect from California.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If Chesney and company can get Williams back on campus for an official visit this spring and continue making progress with him in the coming months, they should be able to position themselves as a serious contender to land one of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class.

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