UCLA announces 12 signings in 2026 class
UCLA general manager Khary Darlington and the recruiting staff closed the deal on 12 signings in the 2026 class headlined by an in-state Rivals Industry four-star recruit.
The road to the start of the early-signing period Wednesday was a turbulent ride. A majority of the class initially committed to DeShaun Foster and his team of assistant coaches, only for Foster to be fired and for both coordinators to part ways with the program less than a month into a 3-9 season.
Darlington and a tireless recruiting staff worked deep into several nights for more than two months in an effort to salvage as much of a class that was once ranked in the high teens to 20s nationally as late as July. The Bruins lost more than a dozen pledges in the process, then regained commitments from a handful after interim head coach Tim Skipper sparked a three-game winning streak in October.
“I’ve never seen anything like the current state of college football ever in my life. So it is as unique as a one of one painting, in my opinion,” Darlington told BruinBlitz last Friday, reflecting on the set of circumstances he and the rest of the program faced after Foster’s firing in mid-September. “I am very, very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. I think it’s a real true testament of how the personnel department has bought into the vision.
“Our position coaches did a phenomenal job of recruiting, and it’s a team effort. And then once they shifted their attention to the field, if you will, we just kind of built on those genuine relationships that were established very early on.”
The Bruins ultimately check in at No. 72 in the constantly fluctuating team Rivals Industry Rankings. Darlington said in a Zoom conference call with the media after the 12 announcements that more additions are expected.
“We’re still waiting on a few more to jump in. There’s a few details that we kind of have to iron out with a few individual players,” Darlington said on the call. “And then, you know, the good thing about it is a lot of people are taking this journey with us, and the people that remain really want to be here and aren’t focused on, like, ‘this has to be done by 7 a.m.’ or whatever. They want to take the time and go through the full process to see if they can get it in and if it’s a fit, or just the details will vary, right? And, you know, we’re ironing out those last few wrinkles now, but we’re expecting to have a few more people jump in.”
It’s a signing class that most, if not all, of Foster’s old staff will ultimately not get the chance to coach. Bob Chesney agreed Monday to leave James Madison and become the 20th head coach in UCLA’s history. Both sides have yet to officially announce the pending hire, but Chesney will coach the Dukes through Friday’s Sun Belt championship game and a potential College Football Playoff run, if selected.
Once Chesney does arrive in Westwood, here is the class he will inherit:
4-star WR Kenneth Moore III
Stockton (Calif.) St. Mary’s wide receiver Kenneth Moore III is the highest-ranked addition. He sits at 381st overall in the country in the Rivals Industry player rankings.
In the Rivals Industry state rankings, Moore is slotted 34th.
Moore remained committed longer than any of the signees, pledging to the Bruins in November 2024.
Darlington commended Moore and his family for the open communication throughout the process.
“Any time he had a question or had a concern or a thought, he would just drop it in the group chat,” Darlington said.
“As a player, again, I, you know, respectfully, like to kind of leave that to the coach to talk about the role that he can play. But if you go back and you check his accolades and the stuff he’s accomplished this year, his performance speaks for itself.”
Delayed decision
Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney reported early in the morning that UCLA commit and Irvine (Calif.) Crean Lutheran defensive lineman Anthony “Poppa” Jones decided to hold off on signing early and could take his decision into the spring.
Jones, who recommitted to the Bruins a month ago, is ranked 400th overall in the Rivals Industry rankings and is the 41st-best player in the state rankings.
“You always kind of walk into this thing holding your breath, knowing that nothing is guaranteed,” Darlington said, not addressing Jones specifically but moreso the unpredictability in recruiting.
UPDATE (8:27 a.m., 12/4): Jones backed off his commitment to the Bruins for a second time Thursday morning, On3’s Pete Nakos learned.
The recommits
Among the most impressive parts of the UCLA recruiting staff’s effort, by far, was the ability to get the recruits who had cold feet to once again reconsider without a head coach in place.
The Bruins convinced Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco linebacker Matthew Muasau and San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) San Juan Hills interior offensive lineman Cooper Javorsky to jump back into the class.
Muasau and Javorsky ultimately never committed elsewhere.
Auburn tried to pursue Javorsky after losing out on him the first time around, but he made four game visits to the Rose Bowl after stepping back from his original decision before giving his verbal once more prior to kickoff of the Nov. 22 home finale against Washington.
Meanwhile, Muasau, the younger of ex-UCLA standout linebacker Darius Muasau, was among former defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s major targets. Malloe’s defection made Muasau step back to ponder his future further, and eventually a “really persistent” recruiting staff that included some influence by recruiting analyst Jordan Bland reeled him back in.
“Jordan Bland was a big part in my decision, and he just kept pushing,” Muasau told BruinBlitz after his school’s signing day ceremony Wednesday morning. “Even when I decommitted, he was always there, keeping it pushing.”
Muasau is planning on enrolling early and arriving in January. Darlington estimated that five or six players are expected to enroll early.
The group that didn’t budge
Along with Moore, the Bruins managed to keep five others from re-opening their commitments. But that doesn’t mean the uncertainty was any easier to deal with privately along the way.
Littleton (Colo.) Heritage tight end Camden Jensen, Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy defensive lineman Marcus Almada, Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic safety Logan Hirou, Kahuku (Hawaii) linebacker Malaki Soliai-Tui and Moraga (Calif.) Campolindo long snapper Giancarlo “Coco” Cereghino all reached the finish line for UCLA.
“A catchphrase that we always say that is, you can’t separate the person from the player,” Darlington said of Hirou. “And so somebody like like Logan, another guy that would meet the profile of what we believe a Bruin is, and the type of player that we believe that can be successful on and off the field at a place like UCLA with a high academic standard, where the citizen is equally as important as the person on the field.
“Logan was always a tough kid. Had good instincts. You never had to question his, you know, desire or motor to kind of get to the ball and be a part of whatever’s going on with the team, to to have success.”
Jensen is UCLA’s highest-rated out-of-state signing in the class at 527th nationally. He sits at No. 32 among all tight ends.
Almada was the first signing of the day to roll in, with the UCLA football social media account making it official at 5:41 a.m. PT.
Almada and Soliai-Tui kept their decision firm as others close to them had a change of heart. Almada’s teammate, Carter Gooden, a defensive end ranked 142nd overall nationally who was once the crown jewel of UCLA’s class, flipped on signing day and joined Tennessee. Soliai-Tui’s teammate and cousin, defensive back Madden Soliai, flipped to Boise State last month and signed with the Broncos.
Darlington said a two-way street in honesty was important in keeping any commits who wanted to explore their options while remaining pledged.
“There were people that stayed committed that called and said, ‘Hey, listen, I’m committed to you guys, but I need to go see what my options are.’ And we said, OK, our only ask is you just kind of keep us updated along the way,” Darlington said. “And I think that is what, I guess, if you could say what our secret sauce was, it’s starting from that perspective opposed to trying to handcuff people and not acknowledging what their experience is with a time like that we all went through together.”
Soliai-Tui told BruinBlitz that although he remained patient through the coaching search, it was not always easy. He added that he intends to be among the early enrollees.
“I’m just grateful to be here in this part of my journey where signing early gives me an opportunity to get a head start with academics and training in the spring,” Soliai-Tui said.
“It definiely was a an unfortunate situation, but what made me stick through was believing in myself and helping build the program again and also to that trust the process. Also, UCLA is a great school, in general, outside of football and history. I’m looking forward to be a part of a brotherhood and culture that the new coaching staff will be installing for the new season.
“I feel blessed to part of a foundational class and knowing I’ll be part of the building stages next season and see the growth and success of the program moving forward.”
The late flips
Four recruits flipped their commitments long before Chesney was the clear choice to emerge from UCLA’s coaching search. It came at a time when the Bruins were still at the height of uncertainty as far as the future direction of the program.
The stunning victory over then-No. 7 Penn State got the momentum rolling again on the recruiting trail, marking a key point in a season with few highs. Wins over Michigan State and Maryland followed and sustained the buzz long enough to produce an unexpected resurgence in the 2026 class.
Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei defensive back CJ Lavender (Washington), Encino (Calif.) Crespi defensive lineman James Moffat (Princeton) and Orange (Calif.) Lutheran wide receiver Markus Kier (Princeton) and Las Vegas (Nev.) Canyon Springs wide receiver Major Pride (San Diego State) all joined the fray. Lavender made his decision in October, and Moffat, Kier and Pride followed within the last three weeks.
Lavender said Darlington and senior director of football recruiting operations Marshawn Friloux, on top of remaining close to home, played a role in landing his signature.
“Just the idea of being able to play for my home state, family will be able to come out to the games,” Lavender told WeAreSC.com publisher Scott Schrader, who was on hand at Mater Dei’s signing ceremony. “They have a great culture over there that they’re building. … It just feels like home.”
Biggins considers Pride one of UCLA’s more under-the-radar pickups in the class. Pride moved back to California but missed his senior season after he was among more than a dozen players who transferred to Torrance (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery but were ruled ineligible by the CIF Southern Section.
“If you’re talking high end traits, Pride is intriguing because of his athletic 6-foot-2, 190 pound frame, high-level body control and ability to separate down the field,” Biggins told BruinBlitz.
“Had he played (at Bishop Montgomery), I think Pride is a guy who would have really upped his stock and solidified himself as one of the top receiver prospects out West. His junior tape popped and he was impressive at a few offseason events we saw him at. The lack of senior tape was probably a good thing for UCLA in that it cut down on the amount of teams who were after him. San Diego State did a great job of early scouting and landed Pride over the summer, but the Bruins were able to flip him and he could end up a steal for the program.”
