UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: RB Tomarion Harden
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, running back Tomarion Harden.
Tomarion Harden, Running Back
Hometown: Inglewood, California
High School: Inglewood
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 210 pounds
2021 Stats: N/A
247Sports Composite: Three-Star, No. 72 RB, No. 68 CA, No. 925 overall
High School Offers: Colorado, Kansas, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah
Commitment Date: June 14, 2021
The second signee from Inglewood High School (CA) is officially a Bruin.
Signing his NLI early Wednesday morning, Harden joined his high school teammate quarterback Justyn Martin as a part of the Bruins’ official 2022 recruiting class, and set the stage for defensive back Clint Stephens to become the third member of the team to sign later in the day.
Harden jumped on the opportunity to become a Bruin immediately after he was offered a scholarship during his visit in June.
“Chip Kelly offered me after our workout and I literally committed on the spot,” Harden told 247Sports in June. “I already had my mind made up before we even got to campus that if they offered, I was going to jump on it and that’s exactly what I did.
The 247Sports Composite, ESPN and Rivals all have Harden listed as a three-star player, but ESPN has him highest ranked of the bunch as the No. 67 running back in the country.
Harden is likely going to play the role of a power back when he gets to campus, coming in at 6-foot and 220 pounds. The Inglewood native also runs a 4.75-second 40-yard dash.
Running back Brittain Brown is out of collegiate eligibility after this season, and Zach Charbonnet could join him in leaving for the NFL Draft in the upcoming weeks as well. If both backs were to leave the program, it would open up spots on the depth chart for new ball-carriers to get significant playing time.
Keegan Jones and Deshun Murrell are both scholarship running backs that are currently part the program, and Harden could insert himself and challenge for a spot on the two-deep early in the fall depending on how things go in the transfer portal too. There will be carries to spare in coach Chip Kelly's run-heavy offense, especially with a new quarterback likely starting under center, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Harden and others to burst onto the scene as early as 2022.
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