Top West Coast Cornerback Caleb Presley Includes UCLA Football in Top 12

The Rainier Beach (WA) recruit has narrowed things down to include the Bruins, USC, Washington, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon and others.

The Bruins are now a semifinalist for one of the most highly sought-after defensive backs in the nation.

Class of 2023 cornerback Caleb Presley announced his top 12 semifinalists on Friday afternoon, and UCLA football was one of the programs to make the shortlist. The Rainier Beach (WA) product is also considering Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Stanford, Texas A&M, USC, Utah and Washington.

Presley is sitting on offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, Cal, Colorado, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Penn State, Texas, UNLV, Virginia Tech and Washington State, none of which made the cut for the corner.

When the COVID-19-imposed in-person recruiting dead period ended in June 2021, Presley immediately visited Alabama, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M. Presley visited Washington over the summer and attended one of the Huskies' home games in September, as his high school is only 11 miles away from Husky Stadium.

Presley also visited Oregon, Utah and Michigan State throughout the fall, and he made it back to Oregon and Washington this spring.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback spoke with 247Sports about his 12 semifinalists, citing the Bruins' player development track record as an attractive trait that has stood out since they offered him in September.

"This was a school I knew only for basketball but after talking with (defensive backs) coach (Brian) Norwood and coach (Chip) Kelly, they are standouts in player and personal development," Presley said.

Presley is heralded as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. In the 247Sports Composite, Presley is the No. 2 player in Washington, the No. 9 cornerback in the country and the No. 83 player in the entire class. 

Earning invites to several 7-on-7 camps and All-American showcases, Presley has emerged on a national level much like one of his outgoing Rainier Beach teammates – five-star Oregon-signed offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who UCLA was in the running for last year.

With Obi Eboh and Cameron Johnson running out of eligibility last season and Jay Shaw and Shamar Martin entering the transfer portal, the Bruins are facing a lot of turnover at cornerback heading into 2022. Incoming Wyoming transfer Azizi Hearn will be out of eligibility himself come 2023, and slot corner Alex Johnson could reach the end of his collegiate days as well.

Devin Kirkwood and Oregon transfer Jaylin Davies project to be the core of the cornerbacks room by 2023, with John Humphrey likely sticking around as well, although no 2022 corners committed in this past cycle.

UCLA is in the running for several class of 2023 corners to add to that group, with Presley becoming just the latest to move the Bruins on to the next stage of their recruitment.

Long Beach Poly (CA) prospect Daylen Austin and El Cerrito (CA) product Warren Smith both have offers from UCLA, and Rodrick Pleasant has the Bruins in his top 13. Although Maliki Crawford decommitted back in January, he visited Westwood just last week and is still considering the Bruins as his collegiate destination.

UCLA just got their first 2023 commitment in receiver Grant Gray on Sunday night, and with Presley joining that group of potential future Bruin corners, a second commitment may not be all too far away.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA football stories: UCLA Football on Sports Illustrated