Where Does UCLA Stand With 4-Star Rodney Colton Jr.?

Four-star Newnan (Georgia) linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. is expected to make his commitment announcement on July 12 with the UCLA Bruins still in the mix.

Colton has close interest in Colorado, Ole Miss, Florida State and Penn State along with the Bruins ahead of his decision. The four-star ranks as the No. 15 overall linebacker in the nation and 239th nationally according to 247Sports.

BruinReportOnline's Tracy Pierson detailed DeShaun Foster and UCLA's stance with the highly-touted linebacker as a massive week of recruitment continues in Westwood.

"Colton projects as a multi-year starter at linebacker, with the athleticism and instincts to be a potential all-Big Ten player," Pierson wrote. "UCLA probably doesn't have an inside linebacker of this talent level on its current depth chart. 

"He visited UCLA mid-May, and has also visited SMU, Penn State and Florida State, and has Ole Miss this weekend and then Colorado June 20th.  SMU is out, he named a top five of UCLA, Penn State, Florida, Ole Miss and Colorado. Florida State might be the toughest school to overcome, but UCLA is trying and UCLA linebackers coach Scott White has continued to prioritize him.  The further away from the official visit, though, since UCLA was first, makes it tougher to feel confident.

"UCLA's official visit was way back in May, which on a recruiting calendar, feels practically like years ago. The feeling is that he'll end up at one of the east coast schools with a big NIL/rev share -- or Colorado."

Colton would be the Bruins' highest-rated defensive pledge from the class of 2026 is he were to commit. UCLA is riding an impressive recruiting season where it has landed 22 total recruits and sits comfortably with the 11th-ranked class in the nation.

Fourteen of the 22 pledges have come in the month of June behind consecutive weekends of huge official visits. Prospects are enamored with the culture Foster has cultivated in his second season at the helm.

The second-year head coach has already put together one of Westwood's best recruiting classed in of the 2000s and is showing no signs of slowing down. Colton would just be another addition to an already shifting dynamic at UCLA.