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UCLA Is Coming for Texas Recruits

As the Bruins look to build their football rosters for the future, they've started to give the Lone Star State more attention.
Travis Tyler|
May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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When recruiting high school football players across the country, there are certain hotbeds that college programs know have a history of producing great talent. They don't only focus on those areas, but the players from there often get more attention and appear near the top of national recruiting rankings.

Texas is one of those states known for producing high-quality football players, but UCLA has done little in the area over the last few seasons. Under first-year head coach Bob Chesney, UCLA seems to be making a greater recruiting effort in the Lone Star State, making up lost ground little by little as it rebuilds its program.

Bob Chesney's Impact on UCLA's Texas Recruiting

At least since the 2020 season, UCLA's reported recruiting activity in Texas has been relatively dormant. It has usually involved one, two, or three offers per year, with at most one of those players committing to the Bruins per season. From 2021 to 2024, they really only offered the top national recruits in the state and didn't land a single commitment.

That strategy can work for established powerhouses who have their pick of the litter when it comes to recruiting those elite players, but when trying to build a program, you should want to go after those players in Texas that may be overlooked or at least in the next couple of tiers as well, even though there is also plenty of football talent right there in California.

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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

As the Bob Chesney Era takes shape, he seems to be recognizing that while still making an impression on the top-tier recruits.

Since Chesney has taken control of the program, he's been able to impact two recruiting classes --picking up the 2026 class from the former staff and firmly establishing an elite, top-10 class for 2027. In those recruiting cycles, UCLA has made more than double the number of offers to Texas players than it did from 2020-25 combined, jumping into the conversations for 59 of them (17 for 2026 and 42 for 2027).

The Bruins landed one of the 17 for 2026 in Prosper Walnut Grove three-star offensive lineman Lucas Hickey, and they already have three committed to the program for 2027, including four-star defensive tackle George Toia, the top-rated player among the Bruins' current pledges.

As the Bruins continue to rise and become a successful team, those numbers should jump as players want to join Chesney's group. We've already seen how much players want to play for him and his staff throughout the spring, and creating that reputation in the key recruiting areas of the country can only bring greater benefits to the UCLA program. Texas needs to remain one of those priorities moving forward.

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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.