Top 2026 UCLA Commit Flips to Tennessee

Gooden had been committed to UCLA since July and remained loyal to the Bruins throughout the fall, even after the program parted ways with former head coach DeShaun Foster. 

However, while he didn't decommit from UCLA, other programs began making a push for him in October, with Miami, Tennessee, Washington, and Vanderbilt all extending him offers. 

Gooden took an official visit with the Voluneteers and the Comodores in November, and after his trip to Knoxville, he spoke with Volquest's Matt Ray about the experience. The four-star defensive lineman explained that the atmosphere in Neyland Stadium, as well as Tennessee's defensive scheme, were both things he really liked about the program.

• “The game day atmosphere at this place was insane,” Gooden told Ray. ”The fans were loud and screaming the whole time. I couldn’t really hear the person in the next seat. It was a good experience.”

• He later added, "They [Tennessee] see me as a field side defensive end. That is exactly what I want to play. I see that they rotate a lot. They play a bunch of different guys and give them the ability to stop the run and rush the passer. It is not like they are limited to one thing or forced to just do one thing, so that was great to see.”

His visit to Tennessee was enough to make him reconsider his commitment to UCLA, and ultimately, he decided that the Volunteers were the best program for him. 

Losing Gooden is a massive hit to UCLA's 2026 class. He was the Bruins' highest-rated commit with Rivals' industry rankings listing him as the No. 142 overall player in the country, the No. 16 defensive lineman, and the No. 1 prospect from Massachusetts. 

Now, UCLA and new head coach Bob Chesney have their work cut out for them as replacing a player of Gooden's caliber is no easy task.