Saturday Blitz
Fansided

National Signing Day 2016: UCLA football recruiting class

By Gabe Encinas

Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of black UCLA helmet with Navy SEAL emblem during the NCAA football game against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Washington State defeated UCLA 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of black UCLA helmet with Navy SEAL emblem during the NCAA football game against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Washington State defeated UCLA 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The UCLA recruiting class for Jim Mora could end up being his best one yet.

The UCLA Bruins have dominated California in recruiting, with over 75 percent of their recruits hailing from the Golden Coast.

Related Story: 20 Most Hyped Recruits of All-Time

They have plenty of playmakers that will be sure to turn heads down the road. The first has to be Theo Howard, an immediate wide receiver threat for sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen. The 6-1 receiver is the No. 13 recruit at his position and No. 102 overall. And if Howard is going to be getting the attention from the defenses, it’ll allow Darian Owens and Dymond Lee, two more four-star receivers that UCLA has managed bring in.

But what about when Rosen is off to the NFL in two years? Well, it seems as if UCLA found his successor, Devon Modster, ranked No. 12 among pro-style quarterbacks. He was a long-time Arizona Wildcat commit, but just recently opened up his recruitment. It didn’t make much sense for him to go to Arizona considering the depth, but learning for a few years under Rosen and he will be shredding the Pac-12 to pieces when his number is called.

But on the other side of the ball, the Bruins were able to stack up on defense and size. They have two top 10 inside linebackers heading in with Lokeni Toailioa and Krys Barnes, both around 6-2, 215-pounds. Two huge defensive tackles will step up with Nick Terry and Osa Odighizuwa, both three-stars standing in at 6-3 240-pounds. Add that with a couple of defensive ends including four-star Breland Brandt, the No. 11 end in the nation, as well as three-star Jake Burton, another long-time Arizona commit, who comes in at 6-6 250-pounds

More saturday blitz: 10 Early Bold Predictions for 2016

Mora has been able to pull in many top-20 classes throughout his time at UCLA, and while this one might not be his best one, this class is filled with much-needed depth, stocking on many of the positions above, as well as the secondary and special teams.

Will this UCLA recruiting class bring a Pac-12 championship to Westwood for Jim Mora and the Bruins?

Home/College Football Recruiting