To bring UCLA football back to fruition, new coach DeShaun Foster and staff are tearing up Chip Kelly's blueprint

LOS ANGELES – Aiming to be more visible, accessible and personal, UCLA held its first spring show at the Rose Bowl last weekend for the first time in nearly a decade.

It's an approach the Bruins have also adopted in their talent acquisition efforts. A program that finishes in last place in the Big Ten recruiting rankings And signed just 10 high school seniors in the class of 2024 has literally reopened its doors.

In the two months since Chip Kelly left the building for Ohio State, the Bruins have charted a different blueprint. They sent out more campus invites and started offering underclassmen again. They were on the sidelines for their first Friday Night Lights event, which head coach DeShaun Foster estimated drew more than 100 recruits, and that newfound buzz continued Saturday as they welcomed a loaded group of prospects to the Rose Bowl.

“People keep telling us they feel a different energy at UCLA now,” director of player personnel Stacey Ford said. “The plan is to be as open and inclusive as possible for the city of Los Angeles. We want to be extremely involved and want the entire city to see what we stand for.”

That's a stark contrast to how distant the program has felt to recruits over the past six seasons. Under Kelly, only Clemson among FBS teams offered fewer scholarships than UCLA, but perhaps most damaging to his roster construction was how late the Bruins got involved in recruiting. By the time UCLA threw its name in the hat for a recruit, it was already three or four steps behind.

In two short months, the pace has seemingly picked up more than 70 high school seniors in the 2025 UCLA offers and nearly There are two dozen official visits on the calendar for the next four weekends, according to the 247Sports database. With plenty of space and time remaining, UCLA has four commitments in its 2025 class, which is ranked No. 53. The 2024 cycle finished at number 90 nationally.

More: Latest look at UCLA's offensive recruiting targets in the class of 2025

To pull some necessary strings, the Bruins revamped their recruiting office by hiring Butler Benton (general manager), Chris Carter (assistant general manager) and the aforementioned Ford, who previously spent two years as recruiting director at Washington State and his high school prom in Cathedral, just a nine-mile drive south of Pasadena.

The human resources department is leading a unique effort to execute Foster's vision for a reimagined UCLA.

“The goal is to change the narrative,” said Carter, who played seven seasons in the league N.F.L following a fifth-round draft selection in 2011 out of Fresno State. “We want to get UCLA back to what it used to be. From a recruiting perspective, we want to change the atmosphere.

“This is LA. We need to get back into the community and we don't want to waste those resources, but that doesn't mean we're going to just hand out offers to just anyone. Some people might not like it, but that's not the case.” other than going to the club. Not everyone comes in. You have to be part of the elite.”

Coveted tackle Darius Afalava is one of the players who recently received an offer from UCLA. Three-star offensive lineman from Lehi, Utah, Skyridge had more than 20 scholarship offers under his belt before the Bruins entered the picture four weeks ago and, even though he had to wait, he said this is a key option in his equation.

“It really came out of nowhere,” Afalava said. “This new coaching staff really likes me and I like their intentions. I feel like it's even more energized since they came in. I've set my official visit for May 10.”

Kelly's quarterback recruitment in Westwood was particularly puzzling. He inherited former four-star Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who initially committed to Jim Mora before seeing the likes of Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, CJ Stroud and Nico Iamaleava all leave town. The Bruins finally scored a big win by turning five-star Dante Moore from Oregon, but lost him to the Ducks after his lone season at UCLA. As selective and exclusive as the offers for Kelly were, the actual preparatory work fell short and that is another aspect that the new staff wants to improve.

Local four star Madden Iamaleavabrother of Nico, has the Bruins high on his list heading into the official visits, while a handful of quarterbacks in the class of 2026, including four-stars Jaden O'Neal from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne, have received offers from UCLA. O'Neal is the sixth quarterback in 2026.

“The biggest thing for me is that DeShaun has always reached out and always had that relationship,” said O'Neal's quarterback coach, Ortege Jenkins. “The difference now is that the coaches have the opportunity to open up and ramp up their recruitment. They didn't have that opportunity before. Chip was stuck with the quarterbacks and maybe that's why they missed so many guys.

Jenkins selected new coaches Eric Bienemy (offensive coordinator) and Ted White (quarterbacks coach). Bienemy, of course, comes from THE NFL, where he won two Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. White is a compelling presence and has coached everywhere from the NFL (Texans) to the Big Ten (Maryland), to the HBCU ranks (multiple schools) and even the UFL (the DC Defenders in 2020).

“When we went on tour last month, we enjoyed the energy and transparency of the coaches,” Jenkins said. “They will become more aggressive and opening the door makes a big difference. The culture is changing for the better.”

Top247 running back Brian Bonner, a four-star prospect in the class of 2026 from nearby Valencia, California, walked into the stadium Saturday with an offer from the Bruins already in hand and walked out knowing he is a top player. the board goal for Foster, who presented a personal pitch.

“I stick out for him because I'm a taller running back like him,” said the speedy Bonner, who has posted impressive track times this spring. “I feel like UCLA would be a good place for me to be coached under Coach Foster.”

Of course, the 44-year-old Foster has yet to coach a game, so there are still a lot of questions to be answered about the on-court product, especially given the quality and depth of the Big Ten. Still, it's clear that the former Carolina Panthers star running back has at least provided an invigorating jolt to a team that desperately needed some electricity off the field.

“It was super awesome to see the energy of the staff and players go to a whole different level,” said three-star linebacker Weston Port, UCLA's first commitment of the class. “There seems to be a lot of excitement surrounding the new head coach change in the building. I had the opportunity to go to practice a few weeks ago and as a recruit I have never come to a practice with so much energy and enthusiasm.

“It excites me to see how the entire staff and team are ready to take the football program to new heights.”