3 UCLA football newcomers who'll have the biggest impacts in 2024

UCLA football is going to look plenty different next season. The Bruins have moved on from head coach Chip Kelly who decided to step down and take a smaller role as offensive coordinator at Ohio State. DeShaun Foster has taken over and he's working hard on putting together a competitive roster and he's done a decent job so far.

UCLA may have only signed the No. 44 class in the country for 2024, but it's also bringing in some solid transfers via the portal.

These three newcomers will have the biggest impacts in 2024.

1. Rico Flores, WR (Notre Dame)

Honestly, I think Rico Flores could end up being one of the best newcomers in the entire Big Ten next season as long as UCLA has decent quarterback play. Flores could still flourish with average quarterback play, but if the Bruins solidigy a legit QB1, he's going to be an All-Big Ten performer.

At Notre Dame as a true freshman, Flores excelled in 12 games. He finished with 27 catches for 392 yards and a touchdown and it's rare to see true freshmen produce like that in South Bend.

UCLA needs help in the receiving corps and that's where Flores is going to come in. He's going to be the second-best offensive skill posisition player on the team this season and that's my bold prediction for the day.

2. Collins Acheampong, DE (Miami)

It may seem crazy to put Collins Acheampong here since he didn't play as a true freshman for Miami and didn't accrue any stats, but the Bruins will need some help on the defensive line and he's my favorite newcomer in the front-seven for UCLA.

The former blue-chip recruit from Miami redshirted in 2023 and hit the portal only to pick UCLA, heading to the Big Ten with the Bruins.

Acheampong has incredible size at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds and his athleticism is obvious. He's going to be a problem for opposing offenses this season as a regular role player on the two-deep. I don't see him starting immediately, but there's a good chance he takes over at some point on the edge this season.

3. Bryan Addison, S (Oregon)

Bryan Addison came to Oregon as a top-100 recruit in the 2018 class and he was expected to be a star for the Ducks early on. He was a receiver and even had 18 catches for 203 yards and a touchdown as a redshirt freshman in 2019 before making the switch to defensive back in 2020. From there, he played in 35 games as a defensive back and had 49 tackles, four interceptions, and six pass breakups.

In 2023, he stepped away from the team midway through the year and only appeared in four games before hitting the portal and picking UCLA. I think he's going to bring that talent and experience to the UCLA secondary as a starting safety and he'll have somewhat of a career resurgence in 2024.