Coveted Class of 2024 Defensive End T.A. Cunningham Secures UCLA Football Offer

Over 50 programs offered the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country before the Bruins sent one in.

(Photo Courtesy of T.A. Cunningham/Twitter)

The Bruins may be late to the party, but they are officially in on one of the most sought after recruits in the nation.

Class of 2024 defensive end T.A. Cunningham earned an offer from UCLA football on Wednesday, the Johns Creek (GA) sophomore announced on Twitter. Cunningham has now reeled in well over 50 offers, and that's with 20 months left until he can officially sign his national letter of intent.

Cunningham's recruitment started with a bang, earning offers from USC, Georgia and Arkansas immediately following his freshman year. Cunningham has since gotten offers from nearly every national power, including Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Utah.

AGTG!!!
I’m Blessed to Receive a(n) OFFER from @UCLAFootball !!! #GoBruins @CoachChadK45 @ChadSimmons_ @JeremyO_Johnson @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @CraigHaubert @AABonNBC @RivalsFriedman @MaxPreps pic.twitter.com/8W5x3j6dlc

— T.A. CUNNINGHAM (@_getlikealex) April 20, 2022

Considering Cunningham has taken visits to Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Central Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee State, it appears the Southeastern prospect is going heavy on his local options at this point in his recruitment.

Cunningham has received four Division I offers since later February, though, and all four have come from Pac-12 programs – Oregon State, Oregon, Cal and UCLA – so perhaps the West Coast programs still consider themselves in the running.

In his sophomore season at Johns Creek, Cunningham played 12 games and stuffed the stat sheet in each and every appearance. Cunningham finished the year with 66 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, nine passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Cunningham is a high four-star prospect and the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country, according to both 247Sports and Rivals, but has five stars in the 247Sports Composite. 247Sports has Cunningham ranked as the No. 5 prospect in Georgia and the No. 15 recruit in the nation, while Rivals has him at No. 2 and No. 8, respectively.

If he were to commit to the Bruins, Cunningham would be the third highest-rated recruit in UCLA history behind only Jaelan Phillips and Eddie Vanderdoes.

Cunningham has already made the rounds at multiple invitationals and all-star showcases, most recently at the Under Armour Next Camp in Atlanta in February. There, Cunningham put his athletic 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame to work and impressed scouts by imposing his strength in 1-on-1 battles.

Gabriel and Grayson Murphy arrived in Westwood from North Texas this offseason, providing reinforcements to the Bruins' pass rush on the edge. However, both of them and returning veterans Bo Calvert and Carl Jones project to be gone by 2024, so UCLA will have to start building from scratch by the time that season comes around.

Cunningham would be a big add to that future Bruin squad, but UCLA's staff will have plenty of stiff competition between now and his eventual decision date.

Beating out safety Peyton Woodyard by a matter of hours, Cunningham became the first defensive prospect the Bruins offered in the entire class of 2024.

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