UCLA DE Commit Closes Recruitment for Good

Anthony "Poppa" Jones, three-star defensive end who committed to the Bruins in May officially closed his commitment Thursday.

Anthony Jones / Shotgun Spratling, 247Sports

UCLA's recruiting hot streak is extending by the day. Three-star defensive lineman commit Anthony Jones officially closed his recruiting for good on Thursday.

My recruitment is 1000% closed, thank you to all the coaches who’ve been along this journey #4sup @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @GregBiggins

— 4⭐️Anthony “poppa” Jones (@Ajones2026) June 13, 2025

Jones pledged to UCLA on May 15 and took his official visit along with other recruits on June 6. Since the official visit, the Bruins have ballooned their 2026 recruiting class to 15 commitments and have the 11th-ranked recruiting class on 247Sports as of Thursday. UCLA sat in the high 30s just two weeks ago.

"My recruitment is 1000% closed ," Jones said on X (formerly Twitter). "Thank you to all the coaches who've been along this journey."

National recruiting analyst for 247Sports, Greg Biggins, did an evaluation of the Crean Lutheran (Irvine, California) product the day he committed. Here's what he had to say:

"Jones’ body has taken a radical transformation over the last year but that might not be a bad thing. He put on 40 pounds since last Spring and we now see him more as an interior defensive lineman than an outside edge rusher. He was a solid edge rusher who won with power and length but wasn’t especially twitchy. As a defensive tackle or three-tech however, he should have a quickness advantage of opposing guards and should be able to overwhelm centers with his size and raw power. He has an 80+ wingspan, has always been good with his hands and we’ve always liked his compete level. One of his coaches told us he has NFL upside as an offensive tackle although he hasn’t played the position nearly as much as defensive line. We do like the positional versatility and it will be interesting to watch his continued physical development but the long term potential is still there to play on Sunday’s."

Jones joins a new culture in Westwood, cultivated by DeShaun Foster in his first full offseason at the helm in UCLA. Foster has adopted a mantra in his recruiting efforts -- building real relationships coast to coast. And it's paid off. The Bruins recently landed two four-star offensive linemen all the way from Florida as a part of their group of commits last week.

Ahead of his second season in Westwood, Foster has UCLA's future looking brighter than ever.

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