Top 2026 UCLA Commit Emerging as Flip Candidate

According to ESPN, four-star Vero Beach, Florida, offensive lineman Micah Smith is emerging as one of the recruiting trial's biggest potential flips.

"Smith landed as the highest-ranked pledge of the DeShaun Foster era when he committed to UCLA in June," the report said. "Nearly five months later, Foster is gone and Smith remains the lone ESPN 300 commit in the Bruins' 2026 class.

"Since Foster's September firing, Ohio State, Texas and South Carolina have emerged as the front-runners for Smith, who also visited Ole Miss in September. The Buckeyes should hold an edge as finalists in Smith's initial process if he elects to go elsewhere."

Losing Smith would be another huge blow to a UCLA recruiting class that already lost two of its four four-stars. Smith and Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy edge Carter Gooden are the two that remain.

UCLA's 2026 Recruiting Class Ranking

After the Bruins landed two new pledges, three-star offensive tackle Travis Robertson and defensive back CJ Lavender, who flipped from Bowling Green and Washington respectively, their 2026 recruiting class improved from No. 81 to No. 77 on 247Sports' national recruiting rankings.

Following three-star Matthew Musasau's reaffirmed commitment last week, the class jumped up five more spots to No. 72.

Tim Skipper Reacts to Recruiting Reset

Although he's not able to speak on specific recruits, UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper reacted to Robertson's commitment a few weeks back:

• "We're full speed ahead, we're working," Skipper said. "I mean, we're grinding over here. We're not letting anything go to waste or not giving effort in one area or another. It's full speed ahead in everything that we're doing.

• "We have a great support staff. I could name a million people, but that teamwork that's happening in there and getting kids to be at games and things like that, and to visit and see UCLA and see all the wonderful things that we have here, and just give them ways of why you should be here. 'You're at the Rose Bowl, what a beautiful day. Who wouldn't want to be here?' That type of thing. And then to see our style of play and the efforts we do on the field. I think it's a win-win for a lot of the guys that we're recruiting."