UCLA Football Recruiting Update: July Week 1

UCLA is grasping at whatever ounce of recruiting momentum it had in a hot June and trying to take it into July. Already down two recruiting battles, each commitment announcement ahead becomes more important to bolstering an already historic 2026 recruiting class.

Three-star 2026 Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep wide receiver and son of NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald, Devin Fitzgerald, officially committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday after UCLA made his top four along with Stanford and Clemson.

Fitzgerald is the No. 7 recruit out of the state of Arizona and the son of legendary NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The class of 2026 prospect has sparked interest from 32 schools, but had narrowed his choices ahead of Saturday down to the Bruins, Clemson, Stanford and Notre Dame.

The Bruins also lost out on three-star defensive lineman Keytrin Harris. UCLA made his top three along with Arizona and Missouri, but the Arizona native opted for Tucson. He wasn't that tough of a loss, considering the defensive linemen DeShaun Foster has already acquired, and the linemen the Bruins are still in contention for.

UCLA is still in play for three-star defensive lineman Marcus Almada, who has a Crystal Ball prediction to select the Bruins, and his four-star teammate, Carter Gooden, who was previously reported to be a packaged deal with Almada. Gooden already addressed that notion, detailing how he and Almada haven't talked about it much since, but there is still a possibility that landing Almada greatly increases UCLA's chances at Gooden.

There's also four-star Englewood (Colorado) Cherry Creek defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais, "TI" for short.

The Bruins join North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Colorado in the list TI announced last week. Though the Huskies have had the edge in a few recent battles for prospects and the Buffs are in his home state, insiders reveal that Foster and the Bruins still have a great chance to land the highly-coveted lineman.

247Sports insider Tracy Pierson, for Bruin Report Online, revealed promising updates for TI and UCLA's chances at acquiring him.

"The feeling is that it's UCLA, UW, or Stanford for TI, and could come down to UCLA and UW," Pierson wrote.

The Bruins may have slowed down on the recruiting trail recently, but no doubt acquiring either one of these recruits in July will bolster the strength of their 2026 recruiting class.