Cal-Bound Safety RJ Jones Announces Offer From UCLA Football
After the Bruins’ official scholarship offers were sent to recruits on Monday, a new class of 2023 prospect has been added to the board.
Despite committing to Cal in February, St. John Bosco (CA) safety RJ Jones revealed he had received an offer from UCLA football Monday on Twitter. Jones may have been verbally offered by defensive backs coach Brian Norwood and coach Chip Kelly before the Aug. 1 announcement date, but the 6-foot-1 defensive prospect seems to have waited until Monday to unveil the Bruins’ involvement.
Jones has been a loud Golden Bears supporter on Twitter since committing to Cal, so it remains to be seen if the Bruins’ staff is still attempting to flip him. However, with UCLA’s impending conference switch to the Big Ten, the Bruins have added a new variable to their recruitment of in-state prospects.
According to 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and On3, Jones is a four-star prospect. The Mission Hills, California, native is ranked as the No. 32 safety in the class of 2023, as well as the No. 20 player and No. 1 safety in the state, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Jones emerged as one of the several impact players in St. John Bosco’s secondary during his junior season. Playing in 12 games, Jones tallied 36 tackles, one interception, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections.
The Bruins already have one safety commit in the class of 2023, one who just so happens to be closely aligned with Jones. Ty Lee – a teammate of Jones’ at St. John Bosco – committed to UCLA on May 8, but is set to play linebacker in Westwood.
With a dwindling number of defensive back targets available, UCLA is likely going to have to turn to the transfer portal again next winter, unless Kelly and Norwood are able to flip the commitments of Jones and others. Four-star cornerback and former UCLA commit Maliki Crawford committed to USC on Tuesday, a few weeks after four-star cornerback Caleb Presley picked Oregon over the Bruins.
Four-star cornerback Roderick Pleasant remains uncommitted and has UCLA in his top six, but as of now, his future pledge seems to be trending away from Westwood.
UCLA’s class of 2023 is currently ranked No. 71 in the country and No. 10 in the Pac-12, according to the 247Sports Composite. Looking at the Bruins’ future conference in the Big Ten, UCLA would be ranked dead last compared to its new Midwestern counterparts.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RJ JONES/INSTAGRAM
