Oregon Cornerback Jaylin Davies Announces Transfer to UCLA Football
After striking out on one of the top local defensive back recruits in last year's cycle, the Bruins have gotten a second chance.
Oregon cornerback Jaylin Davies, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, committed to UCLA football on Monday. Davis has four years of eligibility remaining after playing in two games as a true freshman for the Ducks in 2021.
Davies had an offer from the Bruins coming out of high school, but picked Oregon over USC, Arizona State and Ohio State back in 2020.
Davies took a visit to Westwood over the weekend with a handful of other prospects, and he was the first one to give the staff his verbal commitment and set off a "BOOM" from director of player personnel Ethan Young earlier Monday.
Coming out of Mater Dei (CA), Davies was one of the top-rated cornerbacks in the West and in the country. The Santa Ana native had 25 tackles and two interceptions as a junior, then had his senior year wiped out by COVID-19.
The 247Sports Composite, Rivals and ESPN had Davies pegged as a top-10 cornerback in his class, and he was also being recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Michigan and Oklahoma before narrowing things down and eventually committing to Oregon.
In his lone season in Eugene, Davies only appeared against Stony Brook on Sept. 18 and then again on Dec. 29 in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma. Davies did not record a tackle in his regular season outing, but he picked up three against the Sooners when the Ducks were thinned out following a coaching change and transfer portal rush.
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal left for the Miami (FL) opening at the end of last season, and while former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning filled his shoes not long after, Lanning isn't the one who recruited Davies. The Ducks brought in a new cornerbacks coach in Demetrice Martin as well.
Brian Norwood was brand new as the Bruins' defensive backs coach when Davies' high school recruitment was still open, and he now stands as one of the most senior members of coach Chip Kelly's staff.
Davies' decision to come back to Southern California bolsters a UCLA secondary that had been bleeding depth from losses suffered earlier in the offseason.
Shamar Martin and Jay Shaw entered the transfer portal themselves, while Obi Eboh and Cameron Johnson ran out of eligibility. That left the Bruins with only Mo Osling III and Devin Kirkwood coming back as starting corners with very few scholarship-level options behind them.
Wyoming transfer and former Arizona cornerback Azizi Hearn committed back in January, but he will have just one year to play in Westwood. Davies gives UCLA not only a fourth cornerback for 2022, but also a useable piece in 2023 and beyond.
Catch up on all the transfer market news related to UCLA at All Bruins' transfer portal tracker.
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