Class of 2023 San Francisco Linebacker Jerry Mixon Earns UCLA Football Offer

Mixon is now being pursued by the Bruins, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Washington State.

The Bruins are making a late push on linebackers on the recruiting trail.

Class of 2023 linebacker Jerry Mixon, the cousin of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon, picked up an offer from UCLA football on Friday, the recruit announced on Twitter. Mixon got his offer from inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., so although he has experience on both sides of the ball, it appears he is being looked at as a defensive prospect.

The Sacred Heart Catholic Prep (CA) product also has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV Washington and Washington State.

Mixon had already taken visits to Cal, Washington, USC and Arizona earlier in the offseason, and he stopped by Westwood on Friday. The visit ended in an offer for Mixon, meaning he left enough of an impression on the Bruins' coaching staff for them to move on to the next stage in their recruitment of the Bay Area linebacker.

247Sports has Mixon pegged as a three-star recruit, slotting him in as the No. 49 linebacker in the country and the No. 60 player in California. Mixon was one of the two West Catholic Athletic League Utility Players of the Year, though, also making First Team All-League and earning All-State honors.

Sacred Heart Cathedral won the CIF Division 4-A state championships with Mixon leading the way on both sides of the ball. In addition to being the team's leading rusher, Mixon closed out the title game with a 54-yard pick six.

Mixon totaled 1,800 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns his junior year, in addition to his 147 tackles, 14.0 sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect, in terms of production, rankings and general hype, is one of the most highly-sought after recruits to come out of the San Francisco area in years. Mixon earned invites to the 2022 Polynesian Bowl National Combine and Showcase, as well as the National Preps National Combine at the NFL Pro Bowl.

The Bruins' inside linebacker group has been thinned out in the short term, with Ale Kaho and Jeremiah Trojan working through injuries and Caleb Johnson entering the transfer portal Thursday. Looking ahead to the 2023 season, Trojan, Darius Muasau, Kain Medrano, Damian Sellers, JonJon Vaughns and Jalen Woods all project to be the most consistent contributors, but Sellers and Woods may be the only ones sticking around until 2024.

Norton and UCLA's staff have thus started making offers to several 2023 linebacker prospects. Siale Esera and Tre Edwards already had offers in their back pocket, making Mixon the third player at his position to reach that stage.

None have committed to the Bruins as of Saturday, and the team as a whole doesn't have a single 2023 commit.

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