UCLA Football Recruiting: Commits, decommits and moving forward

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rosen
PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 03: Josh Rosen /

The Latest UCLA Football Commitments

The UCLA football team does not necessarily have a bare cupboard to give Kelly, but there are certain position groups that need immediate attention. Offensive line and linebackers are two groups that have not been recruited well for the Bruins in the last few cycles. The unfortunate thing is that there were a few solid prospects committed to Mora’s Bruins and are now gone.

The Bruins lose OT Bleich and C Stratford (who Kelly apparently wanted to keep, but he had other plans and flipped to Stanford), which left them with zero OL commits before last week. Luckily, Kelly and OL coach Hank Fraley landed a versatile OT in Alec Anderson, but the Bruins still have a long way to go in recruiting offensive linemen and especially linebackers.

Commits since Chip Kelly was hired

  • 4* ATH Bryan Addison
  • 3* RB Kazmeir Allen
  • 3* OT Alec Anderson

With depth being a major issue, the Bruins needs to snag 2-3 linebackers, if only for depth, but Kelly and new LB coach Don Pellum are not going to recruit just to fill spots. Look for this to position group to make major improvements on the recruiting trail and on the field moving forward.

More from Go Joe Bruin

Already we have seen what having Chip Kelly run your program can do as he has landed two top-tier recruits since getting hired.

A week ago, UCLA got a commitment from 3-star speedster, RB Kazmeir Allen (who just broke the national record for touchdowns in a season with 71 this past Friday). This was.a huge get as Allen didn’t have the Bruins in his top 6. He committed when he got the offer. Lucky them.

This past weekend, Kelly added his third and biggest recruit so far as 4-star ATH Bryan Addison gave his pledge to the Bruins. Oh yeah, he is also the #1 rated ATH in the nation, so the fact that Kelly is getting the top talent is promising for the future. And what about the future? Let’s dive into that…