UCLA Football Recruiting: 3-star Nathaniel Jones commits to the Bruins

The UCLA football team received their seventh commitment for the 2020 recruiting class as 3-star running back Nathaniel Jones (St. John Bosco/Bellflower, CA) has given his pledge to the Bruins.

There is one thing that you can be certain of, the UCLA football team is doing much better in recruiting than they were in the last recruiting cycle. One year ago, the Bruins only had two commitments to their name, but that has changed as today the UCLA coaching staff received their seventh commit for 2020.

RELATED: UCLA Football’s S&P+ is Telling but Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

So Cal native Nathaniel Jones is the latest player to commit to the Bruins and is the third offensive prospect in this recruiting cycle behind 4-star QB Parker McQuarrie and WR Matt Sykes.

Current UCLA Football 2020 Commits

• ★★★★ QB Parker McQuarrie (St. Paul’s School/Concord, NH) 6’7, 214
• ★★★ WR Matt Sykes (St. Louis School/Honolulu, HI) 6’3, 203
• ★★★ RB Nathaniel Jones (St. John Bosco/Bellflower, CA) 5’11, 205
• ★★★ LB Myles Jackson (Mill Creek/Hoschton, GA) 6’2, 230
• ★★★ DE/LB Jay Max Jacobsen (Temecula Valley/Temecula, CA) 6’4, 230
• ★★★ S Jake Newman (St. John Bosco/Bellflower, CA) 6’1, 192
• ★★★ LB Jeremiah Trojan (Hamilton/Chandler, AZ) 6’3, 225

More from Go Joe Bruin

• UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
• UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
• UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
• UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
• UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show

The other commits are 3-star LB Myles Jackson, LB Lay Max Jacobsen, S Jake Newman, and LB Jeremiah Trojan. Jones is also the third player to commit to UCLA this week behind Jackson.

UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly is dedicated to the run game and continues to look for running backs that have speed and can run through the line of scrimmage. Lucky for the coach, Jones is a little bit of both.

He would not necessarily be labeled as a speedster (especially compared to the other RBs on the roster), but he has enough in the engine to leave defenders in the dust.

Jones also possesses the strength and body control to break through the line and if that means dragging a few defenders with him, so be it. He also has the ability to fall forward after contact is made giving him an extra yard or two before he hits the ground.

But it is not just about running from opponents that makes him dangerous. He can also make quick decisions as instantly react to them and change course when a defender is heading straight at him. This important skill can be a dangerous tool in Kelly’s offense. Speed is always important, but the ability to see where the defense is going and act against it will give Jones a lot of options when trying to find holes in the ever-evolving offensive line.

Welcome to Westwood, Nathaniel!