UCLA Regains Commitment From Three-Star Defensive Lineman

A three-star defensive lineman who decommitted from the Bruins after the firing of DeShaun Foster has recommitted to the program.

UCLA's interim head coach Tim Skipper celebrates after a Bruins touchdown against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After DeShaun Foster was fired by UCLA, the Bruins' 2026 recruiting class seemed doomed. 12 committed prospects in the class decommitted from the program, and UCLA plummeted in team recruiting rankings. 

However, interim head coach Tim Skipper and general manager Khary Darlington have worked to add talent late in the cycle, and the Bruins just struck again on the recruiting trail, regaining a commitment from a three-star defensive lineman who decommitted from UCLA after Foster's firing.

Who Recommitted to UCLA?

On November 2, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett announced that Anthony Jones, a three-star defensive lineman from Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California, had recommitted to UCLA.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL Anthony Jones has re-committed to UCLA, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’5 275 DL from Irvine, CA decommitted from the Bruins in September

“All glory to God”https://t.co/tluo5f9ocR pic.twitter.com/6CP4mZcgwz

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 2, 2025

Jones initially committed to UCLA on May 15, and decommitted from the program on September 14 shortly after Foster was fired. The young defensive lineman had been evaluating his options in the past few months, with Arizona State and Arkansas both reportedly interested in adding him.

While other programs were pursuing him, he never entirely abandoned the Bruins. When he first committed in May, he explained to Rivals' Chad Simmons that UCLA had felt like home, and it appears that he still feels that way over six months later. 

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

• “It is a great fit for me,” Jones told Simmons in May. “I was at UCLA a few weeks ago and I love it up there. Their staff has been hard on me for a while and it is really like home for me there. I have known multiple coaches on that staff for years. They have recruited me for years and they just make it feel natural for me to be there.”

This is UCLA's second recommitment under Skipper. On Oct 24, the Bruins added three-star linebacker Matthew Muasau back to their 2026 class, and now Jones has joined him.

UCLA's Ezavier Staples, center, holds up a Michigan State towel while celebrating with the team after the Bruins win over Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones is a talented recruit, with Rivals' Industry rankings listing him as the No. 490 overall player in the 2026 class, the No. 52 defensive lineman, and the No. 39 prospect from California. With his recommitment to the Bruins, UCLA's class now ranks 59th in the country.

Darlington, Skipper, and the rest of UCLA's recruiting staff have done a remarkable job of adding talent to the program late in the 2026 cycle despite not having a permanent head coach. The Bruins are hot on the recruiting trail, and Jones likely isn't the last player that the program will add before Early National Signing Day. 

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