UCLA 2026 WR Commit to Miss Third High School Season

It's been a long road for UCLA Bruins commit Jonah Smith. But with his natural talent and his ability to see the game, there's still hope.

Sep 28, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster talks to Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

One of UCLA’s top 2026 recruits will be out of commission until he enrolls in Westwood.

Four-star wide receiver Jonah Smith was already recovering from a broken tibia that kept him sidelined for his entire junior season, but he’s now back on the shelf with a season-ending knee injury.

🙏⬆️for Santa Margarita WR @jonahsmith_4, who will miss the season w/ knee injury, Eagles coach Carson Palmer confirmed

The sr. returned from a broken tibia late in '24

'He'll be ready to go at UCLA," Palmer said, "I know they're excited about him - (He's) got a heart of gold'

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) July 13, 2025

Smith is an intriguing prospect and was one of coach DeShaun Foster’s first commitments after taking over the UCLA job.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports once called him one of the more polished receivers in his region.

“We’ve been watching him since he was still in middle school and he has always had an advanced feel for route running and how to get open. He was injured and missed much of his freshman year but had a breakout season as a sophomore for a well-balanced Mater Dei squad.”

There’s a lot to like about Smith: natural gifts, a high football IQ, and the ability to win 50/50 balls. But one line in Biggins’ assessment deserves a closer look:

“He was injured and missed much of his freshman year…”

So, to recap: Smith missed most of his freshman year, all of his junior year, and now all of his senior season. That leaves just one full high school season under his belt, the standout sophomore campaign.

As good as Smith is, and as well as he sees the game, the Bruins can’t pencil him in as a foundational piece of the 2026 class.

Luckily, even after losing Jaron and Kennan Pula to Utah, Foster restocked the receiver room with Xavier Warren, Santana Carlos, Xavier Stinson, Kenny Moore, and athlete Toray Davis, who primarily plays defensive back but can step in at receiver if needed.

Back in March, Smith told Rivals he was starting to feel more confident in his movement and looked forward to building out a senior-year highlight reel.

Now, that opportunity’s gone, and he'll arrive at UCLA with just one varsity season to show for it.

It’s impressive that he parlayed that one season into multiple Power Five offers. But missing nearly three years of high school football puts his development firmly in the question mark category.

One area that needed refinement was his explosiveness. He’s a smooth route-runner and solid after the catch, but he hasn’t yet shown the burst to consistently separate from elite corners.

Can he re-capture that fluidity when he enters camp? He’s still young, and there’s hope that these injuries are just early-career setbacks.

If that’s the case, and Smith can finally stay on the field, he could turn into one of college football’s more compelling comeback stories.

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