UCLA Making Late Push For Bigtime 2027 Cornerback

With the 2025 college football season officially over and the offseason underway, new UCLA head coach Bob Chesney and his staff are now locking in on the high school recruiting trail as they continue pursuing some of the nation’s top prospects.

Over the past few days, the Bruins have begun targeting several elite recruits in the 2027 class and recently extended an offer to a four-star cornerback whom the previous UCLA staff had already pursued.

UCLA Re-Offers Four-Star 2027 Cornerback

On Jan. 17, UCLA extended an offer to JuJu Johnson, a four-star cornerback from Long Beach Poly High School. Johnson shared on X that the Bruins had re-offered him, writing, “Blessed to be re-offered by [UCLA Football].

Blessed to be re-offered by @UCLAFootball pic.twitter.com/8iY0bqlFnU
— JuJu Johnson (@JuLikeThat) January 17, 2026

Before Chesney was hired, the previous Bruins staff had pursued Johnson, initially offering him in March 2025. Now the new staff has made it clear that they remain highly interested in the four-star cornerback.

Johnson is one of the top defensive back prospects in the country, with Rivals’ industry rankings listing him as the No. 43 overall player in the 2027 class, the No. 6 cornerback, and the No. 6 prospect from California.

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Cole Martin (21) is brought down by Utah Utes cornerback Jason Stokes Jr. (13) during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UCLA’s re-offer comes late in Johnson’s recruiting process, as on Nov. 4, he trimmed his list of schools to five, naming Arizona State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oregon as his finalists. He was initially supposed to announce his commitment on Dec. 1, but ended up delaying his decision.

While Johnson has already narrowed his list of schools, it’s not out of the question that UCLA could make a late push in his recruitment and position itself as a contender for the California native.

UCLA helme — Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As of right now, there is no set-in-stone timeline for Johnson’s decision, but Rivals’ Adam Gorney recently reported that Oklahoma remains the clear favorite in his recruitment despite late pushes from schools like UCLA and Oregon.

“The Long Beach (Calif.) Poly four-star defensive back had a Dec. 1 commitment date but he needed more time with Oklahoma believed to be the far-and-away frontrunner in his recruitment,” Gorney wrote.

Dec 9, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Bob Chesney is introduced as UCLA Bruins football coach at press conference at Renee Luskin Conference Center Centennial Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He continued, “But Oregon is not giving up on him with a recent trip to his school and Johnson has been more involved with UCLA since the new coaching staff got there. The Sooners still look strong but others aren’t giving up.”

While it remains a long shot for UCLA to win Johnson’s recruitment, the re-offer at least opens the door for Chesney and the new Bruins staff to compete for one of the top prospects in the 2027 class.

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