UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: DB Clint Stephens
As the national letters of intent come rolling in, All Bruins is going to be taking an in-depth look at every recruit who signs with UCLA in real time. Next up, defensive back Clint Stephens.
Clint Stephens, Defensive Back
Hometown: Inglewood, California
High School: Inglewood
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 188 pounds
2021 Stats: N/A
247Sports Composite: Four-Star, No. 19 ATH, No. 29 CA, No. 364 overall
High School Offers: Arizona, Arkansas, Cal, Colorado, FIU, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego State, Texas, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Virginia Tech
Commitment Date: May 13, 2021
The trifecta of Inglewood stars joining the Bruins became official when Stephens put pen to paper on Wednesday.
Stephens joined Inglewood High School (CA) quarterback Justyn Martin and running back Tomarion Harden in making his commitment to UCLA official on Wednesday. Stephens was the first of the three to commit to the Bruins, making his pledge in May while Harden and Martin didn't make their choices until June and October.
This marks just the second time in the last eight recruiting cycles that UCLA has earned NLIs from three players out of the same high school. The last time it occurred was when linebacker JonJon Vaughns, receiver Logan Loya and defensive back Jake Newman came to Westwood from St. John Bosco (CA) in 2020.
Stephens has played receiver, cornerback and safety during his time at Inglewood, but profiles as a cornerback at the next level. Classified as an athlete by 247Sports, he ranks as the top player at his pseudo position in the state of California in the 247Sports Composite, while earning a grade that would make him the No. 6 corner in the state. Stephens is also a unanimous four-star recruit, looking at 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.
Having been committed to the Bruins for so long, Stephens helped publicly recruit several other prospects, including safety Kamari Ramsey, who flipped from Stanford to UCLA earlier in the week.
Stephens has the length and physicality to step right into the Bruins' secondary next season, similarly to how Devin Kirkwood did in 2021. While not quite as long as Kirkwood, who is also from Inglewood, Stephens is yet another rangy corner who can be a legitimate building block for the position group moving forward.
Cameron Johnson and Obi Eboh are out of eligibility and Mo Osling III continues to flirt with a move to safety, leaving Kirkwood and Jay Shaw as the only returning starters of the rotating group of five that started the year there. While John Humphrey and Patrick Jolly will certainly be pushing for snaps, there is a path for Stephens to feature there in some capacity as a true freshman.
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