It's an important weekend for UCLA with a few key prospects on campus for official visits. The Bruins are hosting a smaller group over the next couple days, but each of them would be a key addition to the class. Here's a closer look at that group.
Virginia cornerback transfer Fentrell Cypress is currently rated as the 17th-best transfer portal prospect by Rivals, and he is among the most-wanted players currently available. That UCLA is the first school to get him out on a trip is significant. He was a second-team All-ACC selection this season and didn't allow a touchdown this year in coverage. He also had 14 passes defensed. He's played in 18 games throughout his career with 15 starts. In 2022, Cypress had 39 tackles for the Cavaliers. A South Carolina native, Cypress is already gaining attention from numerous programs across the country, but UCLA was quick to move in on him after he entered the portal giving the Bruins an advantage. Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M, Ohio State, USC and Auburn are some of the schools reportedly in pursuit as well. UCLA is looking to upgrade its play in the secondary and is hoping to find someone who can step in right away. The Bruins had an in-home visit with Rivals100 cornerback and current Oregon commit Caleb Presley this week and Cypress is another defensive back the staff is pursuing heavily right now.
Cypress is certainly an important player to have on campus, but no prospect visiting will be more noteworthy than five-star quarterback Dante Moore. The Detroit native has been committed to Oregon since the summer, but his lead recruiter, Kenny Dillingham, is now the head coach at Arizona State. Even before that news was made official, there had been some thought that Moore would be open to exploring other options. At that time, his home-state program, Michigan State, had gained some buzz but late this week it became clear that UCLA would be one of the last programs to host the top-five prospect on a visit before he signs a National Letter of Intent later this month.
Moore is set to receive a large NIL deal at Oregon, so that is something the Bruins will have to compete with plus Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has been taking the reins in his recruitment for a while now. The Ducks sent new offensive coordinator Will Stein out to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Moore ahead of his visit to Westwood, but getting the elite quarterback on campus is a huge win for the Bruins in itself.
The 6-foot-3 signal caller has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks this season across the country and would be the future of the position at UCLA. The buzz late in the week has become increasingly closer to legitimate over Moore simply wanting to take a visit and make a free trip to Los Angeles. If UCLA can find a way to come up with an NIL package that approaches what he is expected to get with the Ducks then the Bruins could very much be in play for his commitment. The word right now is that UCLA has gained quite a bit of momentum in his recruitment but time will tell if it's enough to sway him away from his longtime pledge.
Moore is a midyear enrollee, so his plan is to sign on Dec. 21 and enroll at his college in January.
Interestingly enough, the Bruins are also bringing in current 2023 quarterback commit Luke Duncan in for a visit. The four-star prospect from Orinda has been on the rise this season, and he recently received a bump up in his ranking. The 6-foot-5 prospect fits what many programs are looking for at the position, and he is someone the staff very much likes. At this stage he has remained locked in with his pledge and having him on a visit the same weekend Moore is in town lays everything out there on the table for all parties involved about the situation. UCLA would absolutely like to have both recruits on its commitment list.
Fontana-Summit HS standout offensive lineman Tavake Tuikolovatu has been gaining more traction as a prospect throughout his senior season. It led to multiple Power Five offers, and now he is beginning to near the end of the process. An in-season visit to Utah looked like it had sealed his recruitment, but he has continued to take trips and explore his options with his most recent visit coming last weekend when he made the trek to Washington State. UCLA looks like it will be the last school to host him on a trip before coming to a decision. The fact that he has yet to pull the trigger on a commitment to the Utes feels positive for the Bruins, and UCLA should remain in the mix until it is time for the three-star offensive lineman to announce his choice.
Virginia cornerback transfer Fentrell Cypress is currently rated as the 17th-best transfer portal prospect by Rivals, and he is among the most-wanted players currently available. That UCLA is the first school to get him out on a trip is significant. He was a second-team All-ACC selection this season and didn't allow a touchdown this year in coverage. He also had 14 passes defensed. He's played in 18 games throughout his career with 15 starts. In 2022, Cypress had 39 tackles for the Cavaliers. A South Carolina native, Cypress is already gaining attention from numerous programs across the country, but UCLA was quick to move in on him after he entered the portal giving the Bruins an advantage. Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M, Ohio State, USC and Auburn are some of the schools reportedly in pursuit as well. UCLA is looking to upgrade its play in the secondary and is hoping to find someone who can step in right away. The Bruins had an in-home visit with Rivals100 cornerback and current Oregon commit Caleb Presley this week and Cypress is another defensive back the staff is pursuing heavily right now.
Cypress is certainly an important player to have on campus, but no prospect visiting will be more noteworthy than five-star quarterback Dante Moore. The Detroit native has been committed to Oregon since the summer, but his lead recruiter, Kenny Dillingham, is now the head coach at Arizona State. Even before that news was made official, there had been some thought that Moore would be open to exploring other options. At that time, his home-state program, Michigan State, had gained some buzz but late this week it became clear that UCLA would be one of the last programs to host the top-five prospect on a visit before he signs a National Letter of Intent later this month.
Moore is set to receive a large NIL deal at Oregon, so that is something the Bruins will have to compete with plus Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has been taking the reins in his recruitment for a while now. The Ducks sent new offensive coordinator Will Stein out to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Moore ahead of his visit to Westwood, but getting the elite quarterback on campus is a huge win for the Bruins in itself.
The 6-foot-3 signal caller has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks this season across the country and would be the future of the position at UCLA. The buzz late in the week has become increasingly closer to legitimate over Moore simply wanting to take a visit and make a free trip to Los Angeles. If UCLA can find a way to come up with an NIL package that approaches what he is expected to get with the Ducks then the Bruins could very much be in play for his commitment. The word right now is that UCLA has gained quite a bit of momentum in his recruitment but time will tell if it's enough to sway him away from his longtime pledge.
Moore is a midyear enrollee, so his plan is to sign on Dec. 21 and enroll at his college in January.
Interestingly enough, the Bruins are also bringing in current 2023 quarterback commit Luke Duncan in for a visit. The four-star prospect from Orinda has been on the rise this season, and he recently received a bump up in his ranking. The 6-foot-5 prospect fits what many programs are looking for at the position, and he is someone the staff very much likes. At this stage he has remained locked in with his pledge and having him on a visit the same weekend Moore is in town lays everything out there on the table for all parties involved about the situation. UCLA would absolutely like to have both recruits on its commitment list.
Fontana-Summit HS standout offensive lineman Tavake Tuikolovatu has been gaining more traction as a prospect throughout his senior season. It led to multiple Power Five offers, and now he is beginning to near the end of the process. An in-season visit to Utah looked like it had sealed his recruitment, but he has continued to take trips and explore his options with his most recent visit coming last weekend when he made the trek to Washington State. UCLA looks like it will be the last school to host him on a trip before coming to a decision. The fact that he has yet to pull the trigger on a commitment to the Utes feels positive for the Bruins, and UCLA should remain in the mix until it is time for the three-star offensive lineman to announce his choice.
