Evaluating UCLA's 2026 Recruiting Class: Linebackers

DeShaun Foster and his UCLA recruiting and coaching staff made waves in the recruiting trail in his first full offseason at the helm in Westwood, securing one of the Bruins' best classes in recent history.

Headlined by four four-stars, UCLA has the No. 22-ranked recruiting class in the nation on 247Sports' national 2026 team rankings, good for seventh in the Big Ten behind USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Washington.

With that being said, let's take a look at UCLA's linebacker commits and how national recruiting analysts evaluated them in their recruiting process.

Ramzak Fruean, 3-Star, 6'4", 215 lbs., Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel

Fruean is the Bruins' highest-rated linebacker recruit and is the third-rated prospect in the state of Washington, falling right behind David Schwerzel, who also committed to the Bruins. He is the No. 35 linebacker in the nation.

"Fruean is an exciting linebacker prospect and one of the most versatile defensive players out West. Plays a lot of safety at the high school level, showing plenty of range and athleticism but projects as an outside ‘backer at the next level. With an athletic 6-foot-4, 210 pound frame, Fruean actually looks lean and has a ton of room to grow and add good weight and it won’t shock us if he even plays some as an edge rusher in certain situations. His combination of size, athleticism and physicality jumps out and he's a true three-phase defender who can play in space, rush the passer and drop in coverage. He's a big hitter who flashes knock-back ability and we really like where his game is trending." -- Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst

Malaki Soliai-Tui, 3-Star, 6'1", 205 lbs., Kahuku (Hawaii)

Soliai-Tui was a duo commit with his Kahuku teammate and cousin Madden Soliai towards the end of June. Coming in as the eighth-ranked prospect out of Hawaii, Soliai-Tui bolsters a position that has routinely produced NFL talent.

"Soliai-Tui is one of the more versatile defenders out West and brings a lot of positional versatility to the table. Has a safety frame and flashes excellent cover skills. Plays primarily as an in the box, middle ‘backer and does a nice job reading/reacting and flying to the football. A big hitter who loves contact and plays with maniacal effort and motor. Tough to block because of his quickness and ability to shoot through gaps and run past opposing linemen. Shows knock-back ability at the point of attack and plays fast because of his instincts and relentless style. Really like the all around game and his ultimate college position will likely be determined by where his frame is and just how much weight he can put on by the time he hits college." -- Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Reruiting Analyst

Matthew Muasau, 3-Star, 6'1", 225 lbs., Bellflower (Calif) St. John Bosco

Muasau was an early UCLA pledge, announcing his commitment to Westwood in May. He was UCLA's first defensive commit in the class of 2026 and joins a pretty deep position in the recruiting class.

"Muasau played most of his junior season with a meniscus issue that required surgery at the end of the season. When healthy, he's a classic inside linebacker who can get downhill and loves to hit. He does a nice job filling gaps and reading angles and is a very good open field tackler. He's just a good not great athlete but has a non-stop motor and makes a lot of plays on effort and instincts and should be a solid player at the next level." -- Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst

UCLA's future is bright, and it's starting at the foundation, with recruiting.