UCLA Football: Bruins Lose Transfer Portal Commitment to SEC School
The offseason -- particularly in recruiting -- continues to be a major issue for head coach Chip Kelly and your UCLA Bruins.
SDSU safety Marcus Ratcliffe had pledged to UCLA this past December. A true freshman starter for the Aztecs, he was supposed to come in and start right away for a Bruins' secondary lacking in talent and tangible bodies.
Well... that plan went up in smoke.
After visiting College Station, Ratcliffe went back on his verbal pledge and decided to instead sign with Texas A&M.
This is a total gut punch for the Bruins. Ratcliffe was the most talented player committed to UCLA via the transfer portal. He has the look of a future NFL player, and he played at a position of need.
However, once Texas A&M got involved, the prospect of keeping Ratcliffe in the fold became far more difficult. As has been discussed on multiple platforms, the UCLA Football NIL program is struggling (to put it lightly). Texas A&M has far deeper pockets relatively speaking.
While the prospect of playing in the SEC was likely a strong selling point, one could deduce that Ratcliffe will receive far more financial compensation with the Aggies when compared to what UCLA was able to presumably offer.
This continues the trend of a very troubling offseason for the Bruins. Kelly signed only 10 prospects from the high school ranks in the class of 2024. 247Sports ranks the class No. 69 nationally.
The transfer portal hasn't been much better. With the loss of Ratcliffe, the Bruins have managed only four public commitments from other schools (as of Jan. 4). These commitments include WR Rico Flores (Notre Dame), kicker Mateen Bhaghani (Cal), Bryan Addison (Oregon), and Collins Acheampong (Miami).
