National Letter of Intent Day Results

          National Letter of Intent Day was a busy day for senior high school football athletes. They got to choose which college they would attend and play for. Every player had a rating out of 5 stars based on how good they are in their position on the football field. UCLA had a very successful recruiting day. The Bruins finished with the 7th best recruiting class in the nation according to scout.com, even sitting above well-known recruiting schools such as USC, Notre Dame, and Tennessee.
          The big highlight of the day was the commit from the country's #1 high school linebacker of 2016, Mique Juarez. Juarez played for North High School in Torrance, California. UCLA had to compete with big football schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Ole Miss to recruit Juarez. Out of five stars, Mique Juarez was rated 5 stars by Scout. He will probably start for the Bruins in place of former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack. Both of these guys are fast and big enough to stop the opponent's  run game, which really got to UCLA last season due to Jack's season-ending injury.
          The second best overall recruit for the Bruins was 4-star wide receiver Theo Howard. Howard is the nation's #7 wide receiver. He played for Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California. Back in March, Howard committed to the University of Oregon, but decommitted from the Ducks 5 months later. On November 1st, Howard committed to UCLA and enrolled at the school at the end of January. Howard was the second Bruin in the past 2 years to enroll in January after UCLA's current quarterback, Josh Rosen last year. Howard might also start for UCLA next season since both of UCLA's starting receivers Devin Fuller and Jordan Payton will graduate.
          UCLA's third best recruit was 4-star defensive end Breland Brandt. Brandt played for Windward School in Los Angeles, California. UCLA was the first school that offered him to a commit. Since then, Brandt stuck with UCLA throughout the recruiting ride. He may be redshirted, which means that he will have a year to practice and improve, but he will not be able to play during his first season of eligibility unless his redshirt is burned due to an injured starting defensive end.
          Here are the rest of UCLA's recruits for 2016:
Boss Tagaloa (4-star defensive tackle) (De La Salle HS in Concord, CA)
Lokeni Toailoa (4-star inside linebacker) (Carter HS in Rialto, CA)
Brandon Burton (4-star athlete (can play multiple positions)) (Junipero Serra HS in Gardena, CA)
Darian Owens (4-star athlete) (Clovis West HS in Fresno, CA)
Krys Barnes (4-star inside linebacker) (Liberty HS in Bakersfield, CA)
Damian Alloway (4-star running back) (Summit HS in Fontana, CA)
JJ Molson (4-star kicker) (John Abbott College in Sainte Anne de Bellevue in Quebec)
Devon Modster (4-star quarterback) (Tesoro HS in Las Flores, CA)
Brandon Stephens (4-star running back) (Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas)
Dymond Lee (4-star wide receiver) (Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, CA)
Demetric Felton (4-star wide receiver) (Great Oak HS in Temecula, CA)
Adewale "Audie" Omotosho (4-star wide receiver) (Plano East Senior HS in Plano, Texas)
Nick Terry (3-star Junior College (JC) defensive tackle) (American River)
Jalen Starks (3-star fullback) (Crespi Carmelite HS in Encino, CA)
Austin Kent (3-star punter) (Providence HS in Charlotte, NC)
Osa Odighizuwa (3-star defensive tackle) (David Douglas HS in Portland, OR)
Jordan Wilson (3-star tight end) (Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, TN)
Alex Akingbulu (3-star offensive tackle) (Nathaniel Narbonne HS in Harbor City, CA)
Mike Alves (3-star offensive guard) (St. Augustine HS in San Diego, CA)
Matt Lynch (3-star quarterback) (Legacy HS in Broomfield, CO)
Francisco "Paco" Perez (3-star offensive guard) (Baldwin Park HS in Baldwin Park, CA)
Keyon Riley (3-star safety) (Servite HS in Anaheim, CA)
Leni Toailoa (3-star safety) (Carter HS in Rialto, CA)
Jake Burton (3-star defensive end) (Granite Hills HS in El Cajon, CA)
Marcus Moore (3-star defensive end) (Crespi Carmelite HS in Encino, CA)
Chigoze Nnoruka (2-star defensive end) (American River)
Johnny Den Bleyker (2-star long snapper) (Moreau Catholic HS in Hayward, CA)

          UCLA has a chance to get an extra commit from a 4-star defensive end from Utah, Maxs Tupai. They will compete with Oklahoma, USC, Utah, BYU, and Oregon State for this recruit. Even though UCLA already has an outstanding class, adding Tupai will add to the greatness of it.
          Some of UCLA's big recruiting targets chose to sign with other schools. For example, 4-star defensive tackle Garrett Rand signed his letter of intent to Wisconsin. Four-star tight end Devin Asiasi signed his letter of intent to Michigan and 4-star athlete Aaron Hansford signed his letter of intent to Texas A&M, UCLA's first opponent of next season. All in all, UCLA had an amazing National Letter of Intent Day. I hope these players are as good as they are rated when recruited and have a great football career.