Santa Margarita sophomore receiver Jonah Smith was offered a scholarship to play for UCLA Football and less than a week later he accepted the offer and committed to the Bruins. This comes just three days after Kuron Jabari became the first commitment of the DeShaun Foster tenure.
These developments mark a sea change in how UCLA is approaching recruiting and doing so in Southern California.
UCLA Football Recruiting Off to a Great Start
Smith is a 6′, 170-pound Wide Receiver from Santa Ana, CA, playing this season for Santa Margarita. Last year as a sophomore he caught 27 passes for 363 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Bruins Successful Local Recruiting Day: Offers Extended to 3 Southern California Players
Jonah Smith’s Decision-Making as Told To 247 Sports
On Why UCLA Was the Right Choice for Smith
“I knew UCLA was where I wanted to be so there was no need to wait,” Smith told Greg Biggins of 247 Sports. “Growing up, I always liked UCLA. I’m not even sure why but that’s always been the school I wanted to play for.”
Smith continues, “I liked Stanford too, it was them and UCLA, and the combination of academics and football was big for me. Once I got the UCLA offer, I decided to commit now because there wasn’t another school who could offer me that would change my mind.”
“My dad was with me and he loved it there as well. When I looked at all the things that I wanted in a school- education, a family atmosphere, a great staff that can develop me, a place to network and location, UCLA checked off every box for me.”
On Bruins Football Coaches
“I’ve been talking with Jerry (Neuheisel) since last April,” Smith said. “Then I camped with them in June and have built a really good relationship with him.
“This was my first time meeting the new WR coach, Erik Frazier and he was great. In just 20 minutes, he already told me a few things I didn’t know about the position. This was my first time talking with Coach Foster too and he was great. He’s a great leader and someone I’m excited to play for.”
“It was great to talk to [Eric Bieniemy] and I can’t wait to play in his offense,” Smith said. “He talked to me about how they want to use me and how well I fit in and it’s definitely going to be a fun offense to play in.”
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