LOS ANGELES — One of the biggest knocks about Bob Chesney when he was hired by UCLA this past December was that he is an East Coast guy with little to no ties to the West Coast.
But so far, Chesney and his staff have done nothing but put their heads down and grind to rebuild one of the most historic programs in college football.
Since the arrival of Chesney, the Bruins have been making their presence felt on the recruiting trail. In the month of April alone, UCLA earned seven of their 14 commitments in their 2027 class as recruits took notice of what the Bruins have been building during spring camp.
Inside its 2027 recruiting class, UCLA has earned commitments from seven four-star prospects. If all seven recruits end up signing with the Bruins, it would be the first time since the 2021 recruiting cycle where UCLA signed at least five or more four-stars.
“It goes back to the people in the building. It starts and stops there,” UCLA general manager Darrick Yray told the Southern California News Group. “I had a recruit ask me the other day — why UCLA? My answer is why not. From an academic standpoint, no one better. From a culture standpoint, no one better. A location standpoint, nowhere better.”
Yray is in his first year with the Bruins after spending four seasons at Florida State as their general manager. He’s played a big part in UCLA’s recruiting success, traveling all over the country meeting with prospects and building key relationships.
Chesney echoed similar sentiment after their Spring Game this past Saturday.
“It’s the number one public university in the country. The fact that is the most applied to school in the country …that’s elite,” Chesney said. “And then you go into the athletic department and you start talking about first round draft picks from baseball and women’s basketball to Olympic athletes. So that’s what you’re walking around the athletic department in. That’s not even mentioning what happens on campus.”
DEEP, DEFENSIVE CLASS
Four-star defensive lineman George Toia is the top commit in the Bruins’ recruiting class.
Toia is one of the top prospects out of Texas and is the younger brother of former UCLA defensive lineman Jay Toia, a 2025 seventh-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys. Jay Toia anchored some of the best defenses in recent memory for the Bruins from 2021-24 and the coaching staff is hoping his younger brother, George, can do the same.
Joining Toia from the Southwest is four-star linebacker Colton McKibben, the No. 1 player in New Mexico. Three-star linebacker Cain Brackney plays for one of the top programs in Oklahoma at Bixby.
The Bruins’ defensive back class is looking loaded with three four-star commitments. Jerry Outhouse Jr., Khalil Terry, and Pole Moala pledged to UCLA in April, giving its 2027 class a huge boost. Four-star cornerback JuJu Johnson is the most recent commit, pledging to the Bruins on May 2.
Unlike in recent seasons, UCLA has been taking advantage of the local talent in the Bruins’ Southern California backyard. Three of UCLA’s four commits are prepping at SoCal high schools. Terry plays at Tustin, Moala plays at Santa Margarita, and Johnson is at Long Beach Poly.
Outhouse and Terry both decommitted from their previous schools, Georgia and Notre Dame respectively, before committing to UCLA.
Chesney winning recruiting battles over some of the top teams in the country speaks volumes to the effort that he and his staff have put in during their short time in Westwood.
UCLA has begun rebuilding its connection to Santa Ana Mater Dei by adding three-star defensive lineman Montana Toilolo and three-star linebacker Mike Davis Jr.
OFFENSIVE CLASS
UCLA beat out some serious contenders for the commitment of four-star offensive lineman Jackson Roper. USC, Ohio State, and Oregon pushed hard for Roper, a Colorado native, but the Bruins ultimately won out in a big win for an out-of-state prospect.
Three-star running back Jayshon Gibson joined the Bruins’ 2027 class on May 2. His frame at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds along with his running style should remind fans of a young Wayne Knight, who is listed at 5-7, 190 pounds and is a hard-nosed runner.
Another potentially impactful out-of-state commitment UCLA landed was three-star tight end Zac Fares, a top prospect from Nevada.
The Bruins found a pair of hidden gem in-state prospects in three-star wide receivers Michael Farinas and Rob Larson with three-star offensive lineman Jackson Hill joining them. Farinas preps at Temecula Chaparral and Hill plays at Chaminade. Larson plays for the Northern California powerhouse Folsom.
NOT DONE YET
Although signing day is months away, Yray said he expects that the recruiting success will soon become the new standard in Westwood.
“We want to be the premier destination to go play college football, and there’s no reason why not,” Yray said.