UCLA football team ramps up recruiting efforts, hosted roughly 700 for USC game

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA football team didn’t beat USC in Saturday night’s rivalry game, but the Bruins were able to impress important groups in attendance.

The program hosted roughly 700 recruits for the game and each one was able to spend time on the sideline and talk with coaches as well as take advantage of the new lounge that was set up underneath the Rose Bowl Stadium seating this season.

First-year UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster has put an emphasis on keeping high school talent in the state, a sentiment that was echoed by offensive lineman Josh Carlin a week earlier.

“(Players) tell you the truth,” Foster said. “Coaches can be car salesmen to a point and when you get players to tell how their experience was and how everything went, that’s golden.”

UCLA currently has the 36th-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the 247.com rankings, with two four-star recruits in the group. The Bruins’ 2026 recruiting class is ranked No. 12, with one four-star recruit in Jaron Pula, an athlete at Timpview (Utah).

“My ’26 class, that’s my little baby boomers,” Foster said. “Once we can get some more talent, we have a chance to be top five and we want to show how recruiting is going to go around here for the future.”

Foster also said that UCLA’s new NIL collective dedicated to football, Bruins for Life, continues to receive donations. The coach said donors are impressed with players’ ability to continuously work and play hard regardless of game outcomes.

“There was a lot of dark moments,” Foster said of a season that will end without a bowl game after the 19-13 loss to the Trojans, “but that really shows the character of your team. We’re doing the right thing. We’ve got the right guys in place. And I’m just thankful that I have the type of seniors that are approaching it a certain way. That’s making the younger guys do the same thing.”

FLORES OUT UNTIL FALL

Receiver Rico Flores, Jr. had season-ending surgery after missing multiple games due to an undisclosed injury. His last game was the Sept. 28 loss to Oregon – a game in which he had three catches for 27 yards.

“It was very unfortunate for Rico,” Foster said. “He was trending in the right direction and then we had to take a step back. He’s going to be out for the season.”

Foster estimated that Flores will be back the first week of September and will miss spring practice.

Left tackle Niki Prongos was not seen during the media viewing period of Monday evening’s non-padded practice as the team prepares for Saturday’s season finale against Fresno State.

“He was able to do a little bit last week, so we’re trying to ramp him up a little bit more just to see,” Foster said. “I don’t want to put him in a situation to where he can get injured even more.”

AWARDS WATCH

Carson Schwesinger is one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best linebacker.

The former walk-on leads the Big Ten Conference in total tackles (121), tackles per game (11), solo tackles (79) and solo tackles per game (7.2). He’s third in the FBS in total tackles.

The Butkus Award winner will be announced on Dec. 10 and will be chosen by the 51-member selection committee.