UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: WR Braden Pegan
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, receiver Braden Pegan.
Braden Pegan, Wide Receiver
Hometown: San Juan Capistrano, California
High School: San Juan Hills
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 195 pounds
2021 Stats: 10 GP, 72 receptions, 971 receiving yards, 12 receiving TD
247Sports Composite: Three-Star, No. 103 WR, No. 57 CA, No. 719 overall
High School Offers: Boston College, Colorado State, Columbia, Fordham, UCLA, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, Yale
Commitment Date: June 22, 2021
Another pass-catching addition has signed to arrive in Westwood this offseason.
At 6-foot-4, Braden Pegan could be the next big receiver to be spotlighted in coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Playing his previous years at San Juan Hills High School (CA), Pegan grabbed offers from Boston College, Colorado, Columbia, Utah, UNLV and more before committing to UCLA over the summer.
According to the 247Sports Composite, ESPN and Rivals, Pegan is currently ranked as a three-star wide receiver and is ranked just outside the top 100 wide receivers in the country on both 247Sports and ESPN.
Wide receivers coach Jerry Neuheisel posted on Twitter to express his excitement over Pegan’s signing this Wednesday.
Pac-12 commentator Yogi Roth even provided words of support to Pegan earlier on Thursday.
Similar to Jadyn Marshall, who signed earlier on Wednesday, the San Juan Capistrano native has a shot to carve a role out for himself in the Bruins’ offense. After securing a commitment from Duke transfer wideout Jake Bobo on Tuesday, Pegan provides a similar amount of length, with Bobo standing at 6-foot-5.
Bobo has just one year of eligibility remaining, though, and the same goes for Chase Cota, should he choose to come back to school instead of declaring for the NFL Draft. As a result, Pegan could be groomed in 2022 to become the jump ball-snatching, deep threat of the future in 2023 and beyond.
Pegan has experience playing on both sides of the ball, as well. On offense, the incoming freshman led his division in both receiving yards and touchdowns, while on defense, he played safety and got one interception.
Now, with Pegan signed and sealed, Kelly will just have to wait for him to be delivered either in January or June to start tinkering with how he fits into the offense.
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