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UCLA Football: 3 early signees who’ll have instant impact in 2018

By Connor Muldowney

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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UCLA football signed some top recruits in the early National Signing Day on Wednesday and here are three who’ll have an instant impact in 2018.

Chip Kelly’s first recruiting cycle with UCLA is far from over. The former Oregon turned NFL head coach has bounced around a bit since his last days in the Pac-12 and he’s looking to have the same type of recruiting success in Los Angeles.

The hiring of Kelly looks to be paying off as he’s already hot on the recruiting trail and many believe he will be a better recruiter than Jim Mora was.

With the resources at his disposal at UCLA, Kelly should thrive on the recruiting trail and he got off to a nice start, albeit a quiet one, on Wednesday for college football’s early National Signing Day. Of UCLA’s 11 commits in the 2018 class, eight of them signed with the Bruins.

Which three early signees from Wednesday’s National Signing Day will have the biggest impact right away for the Bruins?

Watching Bo Calvert’s film has to give Bruins fans a good feeling about just what direction the defense could be headed if he’s inserted early on. Not only does he have the look of an aggressive, pass-rushing outside linebacker who can also play as a down lineman, but he made Bruins fans happy when he flipped his pledge from USC to UCLA two days before signing day.

The flip was huge for Chip Kelly and the Bruins and was one of the first major recruiting victories over the rival Trojans.

Calvert stands 6-foot-3.5 and weighs about 220 pounds and he’s an agile outside linebacker who can shed blocks and get to the ball-carrier relatively seamlessly. He’s a strong player and will bring some toughness and grit to a UCLA defense that needs just that.

Starting outside backer Kenny Young is a senior, which could make room for Calvert to enter that playing rotation as a true freshman in 2018. This kid could be a stud for the Bruins. He’s ranked the No. 164 overall player and 17th-best outside linebacker in 2018, according to 247Sports.

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