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5 Recruits Helping UCLA Football Change Its Perception

These players have helped UCLA get its football recruiting back on track.
Travis Tyler|
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head football coach Bob Chesney is introduced during the basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head football coach Bob Chesney is introduced during the basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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UCLA Bruins

UCLA football has been on a heater with its recruiting all offseason, adding top-notch talent to a 2027 class that is filling up rapidly. It seems that every day, a new player joins the Bruins for the future, and it's starting to change how the team is viewed.

Here are a few 2027 recruits who have helped the new coaching staff shift the narrative so far, even if they aren't currently part of the Bruins' 2027 commitment list.

ATH JuJu Johnson

This is the easiest call to make. Johnson was recently given a fifth star on his 247Sports recruiting profile, officially making him the first 5-star recruit of the Bob Chesney Era and just the sixth for UCLA overall. He's a versatile player, capable of playing multiple positions on both sides of the ball.

Johnson's commitment is huge for the program and its future, and it could be just the start of things to come.

QB Brady Edmunds (Currently Committed to Ohio State)

Edmunds pledged his services to the Buckeyes in December 2024, but UCLA is among the teams trying to change his mind, as Ohio State also checks in on other quarterbacks in the class. He recently made a campus visit to Westwood, hinting at a potential flip down the road.

That could be UCLA or a couple of other schools, but what is really changing the perception of the Bruins program here is the simple fact that they're in the conversation. The previous regime would not have ventured this far into the waters and tried to swim with the sharks, but the new staff is showing it's not afraid to jump in.

S Jerry Outhouse Jr./DL George Toia

Texas is one of the premier states for high school football recruits and high-level talent, yet UCLA has rarely been in the conversation for these recruits. That's changing with the 2027 class, which currently has three players from the Lone Star State among its 21 commitments.

Outhouse Jr. and Toia are both among the top 235 recruits nationally and among the top four in UCLA's class. They each committed right after spring ball, continuing UCLA's impressive run, and both will be huge building blocks for the future of the program.

OL Jackson Roper

The offensive line was a huge need for UCLA after last season. The new staff decided to address it aggressively in the transfer portal for 2026-27, but it also has a high-profile recruit on the interior waiting in the wings. Jackson Roper (Englewood, CO) is a 4-star recruit, a top-20 player in Colorado, and the state's No. 1 interior offensive line (guard or center) prospect.

Roper is one of five 4-star recruits in his class and the fifth-highest-rated Bruins' pledge overall. UCLA landed him over schools like Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Alabama.

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Travis Tyler
TRAVIS TYLER

Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.