UCLA Projected to Land Another 3-Star DL

Just hours after landing its 22nd commitment from the class of 2026, UCLA is now projected to land another three-star -- Marcus Almada, defensive lineman out of Tabor Academy (Massachusetts) Marion.

247Sports gave the Bruins a crystal ball prediction to land Almada on Monday, detailing that not much should get in the way for the coveted lineman committing to Westwood.

"UCLA set the bar early and no school was able to match it. From defensive fit to academics and the bond with the coaching staff, the Bruins set the pace and are in position to land Marcus Almada unless a big change takes place," 247Sports said.

This is massive news for the Bruins, not only because it would be another great addition to what is already one of the best recruiting classes in the last decade, but because Almada is reportedly a packaged deal with 4-star defensive line teammate Carter Gooden.

BruinReportOnline's Tracy Pierson, with contributions from 247Sports' Brandon Huffman, hinted at the possibility just a few weeks ago when they detailed how UCLA can finish strong in its 2026 recruiting.

"A lot of competition for him," they said of Almada. "He has added importance since he's a package deal with his high school teammate Carter Gooden."

In the same article, here's what they said about Gooden and what he would mean to UCLA and what their chances are:

"UCLA needs high-level edges. Gooden is that. In fact, he's the highest-rated prospect on this list, and he'd be UCLA's highest-ranked commitment (No. 69 overall in the country). Sometimes edges who are 260 pounds are future interior DLs, but Gooden has that rare quality of being a big dude that absolutely still has the quickness to be an edge.  Given that he's already so developed physically, he's probably the No. 1 guy on this list who could come in and make an immediate impact as a true freshman.

"Gooden visited UCLA in early May, and the word is that the visit made a big impression on him. But it was his first visit, and he's got quite an official visit itinerary. He's also already been to Arizona State, Rutgers, Michigan State and Virginia, and has Penn State this weekend, followed by North Carolina and Boston College. It would be spectacular if UCLA could survive that gauntlet and get Gooden. We know UCLA put a pretty good NIL/rev share proposal on the table for him.  But hosting the first official visit and all the subsequent visits makes it so that UCLA has to sit tight and waited it out. Still, the feeling is that development of edge rushers under Ikaika Malloe could be a big factor."

Landing both Almada and Gooden would put the cherry on top of an already historically great UCLA recruiting class and continue DeShaun Foster's momentum into his early tenure at the helm in Westwood.