Florida State GM Darrick Yray expected to fill same role at UCLA
UCLA is expected to hire Florida State general manager Darrick Yray, according to a report Thursday from Warchant.com.
Yray (pronounced Ray) will move into the same role for new Bruins head coach Bob Chesney, who was officially introduced Tuesday and began shaping his staff Wednesday.
Yray’s hire, which has not been officially announced by the school, would bring an end to Khary Darlington‘s stint in the role after one season. He was UCLA’s second general manager in as many years, succeeding Butler Benton.
The Bruins currently rank 66th nationally in the 2026 team recruiting rankings, and Rivals West Coast recruiting analyst Greg Biggins highlighted some of the hits and misses in a class Darlington and the recruiting staff did its best to salvage for more than two months following the firing of ex-head coach DeShaun Foster.
Yray spent the past four seasons at Florida State, but before that he also had stints at Oregon State and Fresno State.
In 2023, the Seminoles started 13-0 and won the ACC before losing to Georgia in the Orange Bowl. FSU then brought in the nation’s 12th-best recruiting class in 2024.
The 2026 recruiting class is currently ranked 14th. The Seminoles also finished 20th in the 2025 cycle and 22nd in 2023 to span Yray’s tenure.
Yray brings West Coast ties
Among the areas of importance in Chesney’s staff hires was going to be his ability to bring in people with experience out West after spending his entire career in the East.
Prior to joining Florida State’s staff, Yray spent seven years at Oregon State. His titles included director of player personnel and on-campus recruiting coordinator. The Beavers’ 2022 signing class was its highest-rated since 2011, finishing 59th.
Yray also spent four years as an offensive analyst at Fresno State and three as the assistant director of football operations. He graduated from Fresno State in 2011.
