UCLA Football Offers Class of 2024 Defensive End Keona Wilhite

One of the hottest targets in the Pac-12 has added another suitor to his list.

UCLA football sent an offer to class of 2024 defensive end Keona Wilhite, the Salpointe Catholic (AZ) product announced Friday night. Wilhite becomes the third defensive line prospect to pick up an offer from the Bruins in his cycle, including edge rushers, tackles and ends.

Wilhite has additional offers from Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado, all of which have come in since December. He has also received interest from Oregon State, Columbia and Northwestern.

After a Great conversation I am blessed and humbled to have received an offer from @UCLAFootball. Thank you Coach D'Anton Lynn @MalloeMalloe and @UCLAChipKelly @adamgorney @BlairAngulo @ChadSimmons_ @CSing57 @SCLancerNation @BFBaumgartner @CoachEricRogers pic.twitter.com/4gAO5WMvsi
— Keona Davis (@KeonaDavis34) April 22, 2023

Wilhite has already taken visits to Arizona and Arizona State.

At NextGen's THE SHOW camp in January, Wilhite was named MVP of the defensive line. Wilhite also showed out at the Rivals Camp Series in Los Angeles in early March.

Wilhite is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. According to the 247Sports Composite, Wilhite is ranked as the No. 13 player in Arizona, the No. 65 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 647 overall prospect in his class.

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Wilhite ranks No. 1 among defensive linemen in his home state, although he only ranks No. 4 when including edge rushers.

After starting last season at Cienega (AZ), Wilhite transferred to Salpointe Catholic and finished out the year alongside Arizona's No. 2 overall recruit, edge rusher Elijah Rushing. The Bruins also offered Rushing in September, but they don't appear to be one of the top contenders in his recruitment.

UCLA's only other offer to a defensive lineman belongs to T.A. Cunningham, a four-star from Los Alamitos (CA) who also seems unlikely to commit to the Bruins.

To this point, UCLA only has two commits for its 2024 recruiting class – four-star defensive back Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins and three-star offensive tackle Joshua Glanz. The Bruins' two-man class currently ranks No. 60 in the country and No. 6 in the Pac-12.

That class is currently without a defensive lineman, though, and after not getting a single defensive lineman in 2022, UCLA only added one in 2023.

The Bruins' lack of success in recruiting defensive lineman over the past few cycles already came back to bite them last season, when a former walk-on and a former fullback had to slide in and take in-game snaps. That problem could get worse in the future, with Jay Toia, Gary Smith, Gabriel Murphy, Grayson Murphy and Laiatu Latu all eligible to enter the NFL Draft next winter.

Wilhite could be a significant addition to a defensive line room that will be otherwise thinned out, as UCLA is now one of four teams in the race for his commitment.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF KEONA WILHITE/INSTAGRAM