UCLA football recruiting surges ahead of Bob Chesney’s debut

Set your notifications. Check your timeline. Pull up your favorite recruiting website.

Otherwise you might miss the next high school prospect committing to play for new UCLA football coach Bob Chesney.

Over a four-day span last week, the Bruins received seven commitments. When a reporter jokingly mentioned after the Bruins’ spring game on Saturday that there was someone committing every five minutes, Chesney laughed.

“We just got another one on the field out there,” Chesney said, “so you’re right.”

They’re far from done.

Edge rusher Godschoice Eboigbodin announced that he was also coming Wednesday, giving the Bruins 17 commitments and a class that Rivals.com ranked No. 11 in the nation.

All before any players took official visits — or Chesney coached his first game with the Bruins. The belief is strong in what this coach is already doing. 

“He told me he’s building something special, and I’m up there, I see it, I see it frequently,” said Juju Johnson, a star cornerback from Long Beach Poly High, “so I trust his process and his vision — I see the same thing he does.”

Johnson, currently the Bruins’ highest-rated player, is one of eight four-star prospects who have committed to UCLA — more than the Bruins’ previous four classes combined.

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Chesney’s early recruiting success is reminiscent of the job that predecessor Jim Mora did upon his arrival on campus in 2011 and a reminder that UCLA once stockpiled talent before slipping considerably under coaches Chip Kelly and DeShaun Foster.

“People are asking, ‘How is UCLA doing this?’ almost like they’re talking about Idaho State, right?” Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, told The California Post. “UCLA actually traditionally has been a recruiting power and they’ve been so irrelevant for so long, but they have a great head coach now in terms of just the energy and how the whole staff has been really aggressive.”

Chesney said he’s not pitching or even recruiting prospects so much as he is presenting what his team has to offer. Recruits have flocked to the Bruins’ energetic, competition-saturated practices that constantly show players how they stack up.

“It’s a pretty intense, passionate practice that has a ton of competing where you’re exposed, you know, we’re revealed every single day,” Chesney said. “That’s not for everybody. So I think that the ones that we’re looking for identify with that.”

Former UCLA All-America running back and punt returner Maurice Jones-Drew, whose son Duece committed to his father’s alma mater this week, told The Post that Chesney’s animated presence reminds him of Rams coach Sean McVay in the way he’s able to galvanize a team.

“I don’t want to say he’s Sean,” Maurice Jones-Drew said of Chesney, “but I think they have a lot of similarities in how they’re detailed and how they speak to their players.”

Of course, those players aren’t coming to UCLA for free.

Biggins said the Bruins have become quietly flush with the cash needed to land top prospects.

“No disrespect to UCLA, but you take a discount to go to Notre Dame or Ohio State or a national power, right?” Biggins said. “You don’t take a discount to go to UCLA, who hasn’t really done anything, right? But they’re beating out Texas, Texas Tech, Georgia, Oregon, and those schools pay up. So for them to choose UCLA, they’re obviously being very aggressive from an NIL standpoint.”

Khalil Terry, a four-star safety from Tustin High in Orange County, picked the Bruins over Notre Dame and Oklahoma after hearing Chesney tell him that UCLA is the best place to be. It’s the No. 1 public school in the country with a minuscule acceptance rate that produces successful graduates in every conceivable field.

It’s a message that’s resonated with others for a team that is piling up talent.

“Honestly, it’s amazing how we’ve turned this thing up,” Terry said of his recruiting class. “It’s incredible to see this happen in a week.”

UCLA still has some catching up to do versus its rival. A year after bringing in the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, USC has compiled a class that Rivals.com ranks No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten. The Bruins’ class is currently ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten.

One caveat built into UCLA’s class is that it consists of seven out-of-state players, who are usually more likely to decommit before signing day. Last year alone, five four-star prospects from out of state backed out of their commitments to become Bruins.

“Over the course of the year, those in-state schools are going to start to be able to kind of work on those guys — especially if they’re having good years and UCLA isn’t,” Biggins said, “and so, yeah, it’s always harder to babysit the kids out of state.”

But every recruit is different. One out-of-state prospect said he was drawn by the Bruins’ lack of success.

“I wanted to be a part of building something, not just joining a program that had already achieved success,” said Jackson Roper, a four-star offensive lineman from Englewood, Colo., who committed last week. “I believe I can achieve all my goals at UCLA. I’ve always taken the road less traveled, and it’s worked out great so far; I’m up for the challenge.”

Chesney’s pursuit of Roper received an unexpected assist from Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, who told the prospect to compile a list of nonnegotiable traits he was seeking in a school. Among other things, Roper sought fit, family and future — with UCLA checking every box.

“The fit at UCLA was solid from Day 1,” Roper said. “The family atmosphere on the field, in the building and between the staff was obvious, and the future is bright. Let’s be honest, we’ve got nowhere to go but up, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute in any way possible.”

Name/Position/Size/School/Rating

Cain Brackney/LB/6-2, 230/Bixby/Three stars

Mike Davis Jr./LB/6-1, 215/Mater Dei/Three stars

Godschoice Eboigbodin/Edge/6-5, 235/JSerra/Three stars

Zac Fares/TE/6-5, 220/Arbor View/Four stars

Michael Farinas/WR/5-8, 160/Chaparral/Three stars

Jayshon Gibson/RB/5-10, 188/Richland/Three stars

Jackson Hill/OL/6-6, 300/Chaminade/Three stars

Juju Johnson/CB/5-10, 160/Long Beach Poly/Four stars

Duece Jones-Drew/RB/5-8, 180/De La Salle/Three stars

Rob Larson/WR/6-2, 185/Folsom/Three stars

Colton McKibben/LB/6-3, 215/Carlsbad/Four stars

Pole Moala/S/6-0, 165/Leuzinger/Four stars

Jerry Outhouse/CB/6-0, 180/North Crowley/Four stars

Jackson Roper/OL/6-4, 290/Cherry Creek/Four stars

Khalil Terry/S/5-11/180/Tustin/Four stars

Montana Toilolo/DL/6-2, 255/Mater Dei/Three stars

Georgia Toia/DL/6-2, 300/Byron Nelson/Four stars

Ratings from Rivals.com