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UCLA Football: A quick look at recruiting before the Early Signing Period

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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With less than a week until the early signing period begins, the UCLA football team is scrambling to get in their last-minute pitches in and land a few extra recruits. Here is a quick overview of what is happening…

With the early signing period fast approaching, coaches are trying to reel in as many players on their radar as possible. UCLA football is no different as Chip Kelly and his staff have been hitting the recruiting trail hard since their season ended a few weeks ago.

RELATED: Where does UCLA go now? OFFENSE | DEFENSE

The process has been slow, but it is producing results. Currently, the Bruins have 10 commitments and should sign them all, but there is still a lot of work to be done and a few more commits to bring in.

Here is a quick guide to UCLA’s recruiting efforts heading into the Early Signing Period which begins next Wednesday, December 19.

Current 2019 UCLA Football Commits

  • Sean Rhyan, OT ★★★★ (San Juan Hills/San Juan Capistrano, CA) 6’5, 302
  • Sharmar Martin, CB ★★★ (Morse/San Diego, CA) 5’11, 170
  • Michael Martinez, TE ★★★ (Mater Dei/Santa Ana, CA) 6’6, 246
  • William Nimmo, S ★★★ (Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA) 6’1, 190
  • Duke Clemens, OG ★★★ (Punahou/Honolulu, HI) 6’3, 268
  • John Ward, LB ★★★ (Palmdale/Palmdale, CA) 6’3, 227
  • Beau Taylor, OG ★★★ (Bishop Gorman/Las Vegas, NV) 6’5, 286
  • Chase Griffin, QB ★★★ (Hutto/Hutto, TX) 5’10, 186
  • Jahmon McClendon, RB ★★★ (Monte Vista/Spring Valley, CA) 6’2, 210
  • Carl Jones, ATH ★★★ (Bakersfield/Bakersfield, CA) 6’1, 195
  • Kain Medrano, WR ★★★ (East/Pueblo, CO) 6’4, 205

2019 Recruiting Class Composite Rankings

  • National: 60th | Pac-12 Conference: 9th

Committed Walk-ons

  • Nick Barr-Mira, K (Loyola/Los Angeles, CA) 6’0, 175

Commitments by Position Group

QB: 1 | RB: 1 | WR: 1 | TE: 1 | OL: 3 | DL: 0 | LB: 1 | DB: 2

Remaining Positional Needs

QB: 1 | RB: 0 | WR: 1-2 | TE: 1 | OL: 1-2 | DL: 1-3 | LB: 2-3 | DB: 1

So who are some of the other prospects on UCLA’s radar? It is clear that the Bruins have met some of their needs, but they still quite thin at certain positions.

UCLA is looking to bring in another QB and Jayden Daniels (Cajon/San Bernardino, CA) is on their list, but they might have to look elsewhere as he is leaning toward Arizona State.

The Bruins are set at RB with the addition of Jahmon McClendon. The Bruins also get speedster Keegan Jones who committed to the 2018 class, but greyshirted.

Kain Medrano will be a nice addition to the Bruins’ receiving corps, but they could do with another, though it is not imperative as they loaded up in 2018. Trevon Clark (El Camino College/Torrance, CA) and Jaylen Erwin (Hutchinson CC/Hutchinson, KS) are two of the Bruins’ targets, but they have to battle it out with Cal for their services. UCLA also showed Bru McCoy (Mater Dei/Santa Ana, CA) some love recently, but he doesn’t seem to have the Bruins as one of his favorite schools.

At tight end, the Bruins have Mater Dei prospect Michael Martinez and it has been said that UCLA might be in the market for another, but it is not a huge concern.

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The offensive line is where things have been going very well for the Bruins. Not only did they get one of the best tackles in the nation in Sean Rhyan, but they also have to talented guards in Duke Clemens and Beau Taylor, but they are not finished in this department. Three-star OG Sataoa Laumea (Eisenhower/Rialto, CA) is looking like he could pick the blue and gold before next Wednesday.

With no DL commitments, the Bruins have some work to do. Laiatu Latu (Jesuit/Carmichael, CA), Nick Figueroa (Riverside CC/Riverside, CA), Datona Jackson (College of the Desert/Palm Desert, CA), and Siale Liku (Oakland/Oakland, CA) all have interest in the Bruins and there is a possibility that at least two could be heading to Westwood.

Linebacker is the group that needs the most attention. Having “The Palmdale Pain Train” John Ward committed is big, but they need 2-3 more. Daniel Heimuli (Menlo-Atherton/Menlo Park, CA) is one of the bigger recruits, though he might be heading to Washington. The same goes for Ralen Goforth (St. John Bosco/Bellflower, CA) who is a big UCLA target, but will probably end up at USC. At that point, Dru Mathis (Moorpark College/Moorpark, CA) and Cade Albright (San Juan Hills/San Juan Capistrano, CA) would be the only possible linebackers remaining that the Bruins have a shot with.

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The Bruins will bring in some talented backs with Sharmar Martin and William Nimmo, but they could do with a few more. Carl Jones (Bakersfield/Bakersfield, CA) is high on the Bruins and could also be heading to Westwood.

UPDATED! Jones committed a few hours after this article was published. BOOM!