Let's take a look at some key news and information about UCLA football that you may have missed this summer.
Although there have been some highly rated recruits who have committed to other schools, UCLA's 2026 football recruiting class has seen a notable uptick under head coach DeShaun Foster. Depending on the recruiting service, the Bruins' class is currently ranked between 16th and 23rd out of the top 25 in the country. They are now in the top half of the Big Ten recruiting rankings.
Numerous highly regarded prospects, including several four-star recruits, make this class a consensus top 25 class, as mentioned earlier. A portion of UCLA's incoming recruits come from Florida, Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts, demonstrating the university's outreach beyond California.
On some recruiting sites, UCLA's class briefly jumped into the top 10 nationally during their "hot streak" in June, when they secured a significant number of commitments. Since then, the class has fallen out of the top 10 rankings as a result of some top recruits picking another school and other schools catching up.
Notwithstanding a few setbacks, the class is generally regarded as a solid beginning for the DeShaun Foster era in year two, proving the program's capacity to draw elite players and contend for recruits across the country.
In case you missed it, here is a series of articles about how well UCLA football is doing regarding securing commitments from top 2026 class recruits.
UCLA's move to the Big Ten Conference last season is changing the way its current and potentially new rivalries form, maintain, and or get stronger. The Bruins will still retain their historic rivalry with USC, but they may also develop new rivalries in the Big Ten as the seasons progress. The possibility of these new rivalries depends on a few key things: past matchups, how close the teams are to each other (as much as possible in a cross-country conference), and the chance for high-stakes, competitive games. Here are some potential new and strengthening of current UCLA football rivalries in the Big Ten.
The "Pacific Coast" Rivals—USC, Oregon, and Washington—are three teams that joined UCLA in the Big Ten after leaving the Pac-12 conference. The idea is to strengthen these rivalries, and they have many things in common that unite them and hopefully make them stronger rivalries with UCLA.
The rivalry with USC is the most obvious one and will always be a top priority for both schools. The "Victory Bell" game, which has been a tradition for years, will stay a Big Ten rivalry for many years to come. This rivalry is already considered one of the best in the conference, and some may argue it ranks among the best in all of college football.
Oregon and Washington, with these two football programs, also moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Even though the rivalries are not as intense as the one with USC, the teams' shared history and recent high-stakes games will probably keep the matchups competitive and exciting. UCLA will still play these teams a lot thanks to the Big Ten's new scheduling model.
The new "traditional" rivals in the Big Ten consist of two schools with which UCLA could develop rivalries in the coming years.
Nebraska is a strong candidate for a new, natural rivalry for UCLA. The two teams have a surprising history, having played each other 13 times, including a few bowl games. Their games have been close and competitive a lot of the time. Furthermore, Nebraska is one of the "closer" Big Ten schools to UCLA, along with the other Pac-12 schools that moved there, which could make it easier for fans to travel and create a rivalry atmosphere.
Michigan State has historical roots as a possible rivalry, not just in football but also in basketball. Although they haven't played football against each other very often in recent years, both universities are large public institutions that aspire to improve their standing in the Big Ten, which could foster a rivalry. The new Big Ten schedule will make sure they play each other more often, which is a big part of what makes a rivalry grow.
Now let's take a look at some other news you may have missed about UCLA this summer.