5 Recruits Helping UCLA Football Change Its Perception
UCLA football has been on a heater with its recruiting all offseason, adding top-notch talent to a 2027 class that is filling up rapidly. It seems that every day, a new player joins the Bruins for the future, and it's starting to change how the team is viewed.
Here are a few 2027 recruits who have helped the new coaching staff shift the narrative so far, even if they aren't currently part of the Bruins' 2027 commitment list.
ATH JuJu Johnson
Blessed to be named a 5 star again! God just tested me that's all he knew the truth. #gobruins#fivestar@UCLAFBRecruitpic.twitter.com/ODNl9UWosh
- JuJu Johnson (@JuLikeThat) June 10, 2026
This is the easiest call to make. Johnson was recently given a fifth star on his 247Sports recruiting profile, officially making him the first 5-star recruit of the Bob Chesney Era and just the sixth for UCLA overall. He's a versatile player, capable of playing multiple positions on both sides of the ball.
Johnson's commitment is huge for the program and its future, and it could be just the start of things to come.
QB Brady Edmunds (Currently Committed to Ohio State)
Ohio State 4-star QB commit Brady Edmunds in his official visit to UCLA
- Rivals (@Rivals) June 6, 2026
More from @adamgorney: https://t.co/k02PHmOmagpic.twitter.com/YJJxsZpolM
Edmunds pledged his services to the Buckeyes in December 2024, but UCLA is among the teams trying to change his mind, as Ohio State also checks in on other quarterbacks in the class. He recently made a campus visit to Westwood, hinting at a potential flip down the road.
That could be UCLA or a couple of other schools, but what is really changing the perception of the Bruins program here is the simple fact that they're in the conversation. The previous regime would not have ventured this far into the waters and tried to swim with the sharks, but the new staff is showing it's not afraid to jump in.
S Jerry Outhouse Jr./DL George Toia
UCLA continues to roll in Texas landing its second straight Top247 commit from the class in former Georgia pledge Jerry Outhouse Jr. https://t.co/bMfsbohqXxpic.twitter.com/3P348NHdUp
- Mike Roach (@MikeRoach247) May 1, 2026
Texas is one of the premier states for high school football recruits and high-level talent, yet UCLA has rarely been in the conversation for these recruits. That's changing with the 2027 class, which currently has three players from the Lone Star State among its 21 commitments.
Outhouse Jr. and Toia are both among the top 235 recruits nationally and among the top four in UCLA's class. They each committed right after spring ball, continuing UCLA's impressive run, and both will be huge building blocks for the future of the program.
OL Jackson Roper
BREAKING 4-star IOL Jackson Roper has committed to UCLA, per @Hayesfawcett3 and @BrandonHuffman
- Rivals (@Rivals) May 1, 2026
Read: https://t.co/ht8qWRIuXQpic.twitter.com/BwTDuJGGmw
The offensive line was a huge need for UCLA after last season. The new staff decided to address it aggressively in the transfer portal for 2026-27, but it also has a high-profile recruit on the interior waiting in the wings. Jackson Roper (Englewood, CO) is a 4-star recruit, a top-20 player in Colorado, and the state's No. 1 interior offensive line (guard or center) prospect.
Roper is one of five 4-star recruits in his class and the fifth-highest-rated Bruins' pledge overall. UCLA landed him over schools like Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Alabama.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as 5 Recruits Helping UCLA Football Change Its Perception.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.