by The UCLA Bruins will be limping into the Big Ten next season with some negative momentum, and “some” is putting it lightly.
Never in its program history has UCLA had a worst-ranked recruiting class than in 2024. As a whole, UCLA’s combined high school and transfer recruiting rankings settled in at 57th in the nation. This was an astronomical dip in comparison to previous combined recruiting rankings under Chip Kelly.
2024: 57th (82nd in high school recruiting)
2023: 25th
2022: 29th (first season of transfer rankings)
2021: 32nd
2020: 33rd
2019: 40th
2018: 19th
This also puts salt in the wound for the Bruins who already lost several notable stars to the portal, including quarterback Dante Moore (Oregon) and safety Kamari Ramsey (USC), and have the fifth-toughest schedule in the country next season.
While he’s a plausible X’s and O’s head coach, this also makes Bruin fans question whether or not extending Chip Kelly through 2027 was the right move. Talent acquisition and recruiting has never been more valuable in the college football landscape, and it appears that UCLA is heading in the polar opposite direction — at the worst time possible too.
In its new conference, UCLA’s class ranks 17th, only ahead of Northwestern, who fired Pat Fitzgerald amid a scandal.
There is a chance UCLA could get a boost in recruiting rankings when the transfer portal opens up again after spring practice. But still, it’s hard to believe that any transfers it gets in late April will significantly boost the 2024 ranking.
So, to sum it up, this is bad news for the Bruins. Not only does UCLA have a gauntlet schedule in 2024, but it has hit rock-bottom recruiting wise. It could be a very long season for the Bruin faithful this fall.