Bruins Land 3-Star WR Thanks to HS Teammate

The turnover from UCLA's second consecutive big weekend of official visits paid off early Monday morning as three-star wide receiver Xavier Stinson announced his commitment to the Bruins.

A big factor in the Vero Beach, Florida product opting for Westwood among offers from the likes of Michigan State, Arkansas, NC State and others, was his high school teammate and fellow UCLA commit, four-star offensive lineman Micah "Champion" Smith.

The two Vero Beach recruits join a wave of Florida commits crossing the country to join DeShaun Foster and his program this recruiting cycle. Foster has attracted four Florida products over the last two weekends, with more expected to come.

Stinson detailed much of his commitment to UCLA Bruins on SI, revealing what led to him making his decision despite having an official visit scheduled with Michigan State this weekend, which he since canceled.

"Definitely culture and how personal it is," Stinson told UCLA Bruins on SI on what attracted his pledge. "The receiver coaches and offensive coordinator helped me make this decision. I feel truly honored for them to believe in me. I don’t plan on taking any other visits; I have canceled all of the remaining visits that I had. It’s time to have some fun."

After Stinson announced his commitment on X (formerly Twitter), Smith voiced his congratulations for his high school teammate while noting a new "coast to coast" mantra that rose from the last two weeks of east coast commitments.

"2 Vero Boys Coast 2 Coast," Smith said in a post quoting Stinson's commitment announcement.

2 Vero Boys Coast 2 Coast #4sUp #FosEra #BeDifferent https://t.co/6u7eu5Ef85
— Micah Champion Smith (@ChampSmith55) June 16, 2025

Stinson brings UCLA's 2026 class to 17 commits and further moves them up the rankings of the nation's recruiting classes. The Bruins are now 11th on 247Sports' 2026 Football Team Recruiting Rankings, moving up from 14th on Sunday.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver was one of two three-star receivers to commit to Westwood on Monday. Pembroke Pines, Florida product Santana Carlos also pledged to the Bruins. Yet another Floridian added to the wave of cross-coast commits.

Foster and his coaching staff imparted a focus on bolstering their east coast pipeline by "developing real relationships with athletes coast to coast," and it's been paying off well as they are building one of their best recruiting classes over the last decade.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @cmorenoNBA and never miss another news story again on UCLA football this year.

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