UCLA Football Recruiting: Top 3 Needs in the Class of 2017

It is never to soon to start looking ahead to the future of recruiting, so we break down the three biggest needs for the UCLA Football team in 2017.

We are just under 10 months away from Signing Day 2017 and the class has gotten off to a hot start. It may seem like a long ways away from now, but the areas the coaching staff has to address is pretty clear for the most part.

Here are the top 3 needs going into the class of 2017 for UCLA:

1. Offensive Linemen – One very consistent issue in the Jim Mora-era is penalties. UCLA has found themselves in the bottom 15 in penalty yards nationwide every season during the Mora-era. Last year, UCLA signed three Offensive Linemen (Michael Alves, Alex Akingbulu, and Francisco Perez).

More from Go Joe Bruin

It was a strong finish to the cycle for Offensive Line coach Adrian Klemm, especially after being suspended for around 4 months shortly after signing day 2015. This year however, UCLA must sign a large Offensive Line class.

The O-line lacks a good amount of depth and elite talent at every position across the line. UCLA landed a big verbal commitment from Sierra Canyon HS (CA) Offensive Guard Kanan Ray on March 4, 2016.

Losing a pledge in Travis HS (TX) Offensive Tackle Will Farrar hurts, however, the Bruins are in the running for some very elite Offensivge Line talent all across the country. One big name is 5-star Offensive Guard Wyatt Davis out of St. John Bosco HS (CA). A couple other big names to keep your eye on are: Chuck Filiaga, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Aaron Banks.

2. A lock-down Cornerback – Having a lockdown corner on a roster can change the whole entire defensive mindset and gameplan. UCLA has emphasized recruiting big corners these past couple recruiting cycles.

UCLA has emphasized recruiting big corners these past couple recruiting cycles.

However, they have fallen short on multiple elite corners these past couple cycles. However, in the class of 2017, one prospect in Southern California really sticks out among the crowd, and that is Calabasas HS (CA) Cornerback Darnay Holmes.

UCLA Secondary coach Demetrice Martin has a very strong relationship with Holmes and his family. In fact, Martin has been recruiting Holmes for a very long time now. This is a very big one for Coach Martin and the Bruins.

UCLA is also in the running for elite Buena Park HS (CA) Cornerback Elijah Gates. Gates has publicly stated the Bruins are the favorite right now. Holmes will announce on June 23, and Gates will wait until Signing Day. A couple other names to watch out for are: Thomas Graham, Deommodore Lenoir, and Jaylon Redd.

3. An elite Defensive Tackle – One very evident struggle for the Bruin defense last year was stopping the run. They lacked a lot of physicality on the defensive line, especially after losing star Defensive Tackle Eddie Vanderdoes.

Now that UCLA has converted its defense to a 4-3 scheme, it is even more imperative they stock up at the Defensive Tackle position. Getting Boss Tagaloa was definitely a massive get for the Bruins in the class of 2016.

However, this year landing at least two elite Defensive tackles is a must. The west has not been this loaded in Defensive Tackles for quite sometime now. That being stated, UCLA should have a great opportunity in landing a couple big names at the Defensive Tackle position. The Bruins look very good early with Arbor View HS (NV) DT Greg Rogers and Los Angeles Senior HS (CA) DT Martin Andrus.

Next: UCLA Football Has The 7th Toughest Schedule in 2017

At this point however, it looks like it will come down to UCLA and the cross-town rival USC in both of their recruitments. More names to keep an eye on at Defensive Tackle are: Jay Tufele, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Noah Elliss.