UCLA’s 2027 recruiting class is giving Bob Chesney a real launching pad in Westwood.
The Bruins are sitting at No. 19 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, which puts them on track for their first top-20 class since 2018 in Chesney’s first full recruiting cycle at the helm. That 2018 group also finished 19th nationally and was headlined by 4-star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
This time around, the class is led by 5-star athlete JuJu Johnson. UCLA’s current haul also includes seven 4-star commits and 15 3-stars. For comparison, the 2018 class signed 10 4-star prospects and 17 3-stars, but UCLA still wound up with a losing record in the first three seasons tied to that group.
The program’s recent arc has been uneven. UCLA went 25-13 over the final three seasons of the Chip Kelly era from 2021 through 2023, then dropped to 8-16 over the past two seasons. Chesney’s 2027 class matters because it’s the kind of group that can help define the culture he wants in place.
In the Big Ten, UCLA’s 2027 class currently ranks sixth. Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska, USC, and Michigan are ahead of the Bruins. Even so, this class is being viewed as the kind of foundation that can help UCLA push toward a College Football Playoff berth and maybe even the Big Ten Championship Game.
Chesney’s rise to this point has been steady and methodical. He climbed from Division III all the way to a Power Five head-coaching job at UCLA, and every stop came with another step up the ladder. Across 16 seasons as a college head coach, he has never finished with a losing record.
He’s also wasted no time making noise in the transfer portal. UCLA signed the 25th-best transfer class in 2026 and brought in 41 transfers, including 4-star linebacker Sammy Omosigho from Oklahoma and 4-star wide receiver Aidan Mizell from Florida.
There are early signs that the roster is already taking shape in spring practice, too. Michigan transfer wide receiver Semaj Morgan has been standing out, and he connected with quarterback Nico Iamaleava on a go route down the sideline before out-jumping DJ Barksdale for the catch.
The broader picture is just as important as the rankings. Chesney and his staff are building this roster around fit and cohesion, while still leaning on UCLA’s brand and location to land elite talent.
That approach is showing up in the geography of the class. Thirteen of UCLA’s 23 2027 commitments are from California, while the rest come from Connecticut, Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Bruins are proving they can recruit both at home and beyond it.
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