Midwestern DB Jyaire Hill Picks Up Late Offer From UCLA Football

One of the top-rated prospects out of Illinois is now being targeted by the Bruins with his senior season already underway.

With just over two months remaining until the early signing period opens, the Bruins are still sending out offers.

Class of 2023 prospect Jyaire Hill has earned a scholarship offer from UCLA football, the prospect announced Thursday on Twitter. Hill is widely listed under the broad term of athlete, but he is mostly getting looks as a cornerback, and the Bruins appear to agree considering defensive backs coach Brian Norwood is leading his recruitment.

The Kankakee (IL) product also have offers from Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

I am very blessed and grateful to announce that I have received a offer from UCLA🐻@brian_ohana5 pic.twitter.com/rCAFNCE4vP

— Jyaire “Suga” Hill (@JyaireSuga) September 29, 2022

Given that it is so late in the cycle, the Bruins will be playing catch up with some of the more established contenders in Hill's recruitment.

Hill took an official visit to Washington on May 13, one to Illinois on June 3 and one to Michigan on June 10. Experts on 247Sports and Rivals have already submitted official predictions that Hill winds up with Michigan and Illinois.

According to a report from 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, though, Hill is reciprocating interest with UCLA's staff and could take an official visit to Westwood this fall. Given how few offers coach Chip Kelly and his staff have sent out – 57, which is still the fewest in the Power Five – it doesn't seem likely they would waste their time on a new target unless they believed they had a real shot at him.

Three games into his senior season at Kankakee, Hill has five tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss playing on the outside. The 6-foot-3 defensive back has also added 32 rushing yards and 161 receiving yards, as well as three receiving touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Hill recorded 56 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and seven interceptions across 13 games in 2021, in addition to 468 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3 all have Hill rated as a four-star recruit. In the 247Sports Composite, Hill is pegged as the No. 3 player in Illinois, No. 28 cornerback in the country and No. 249 overall player in his class.

UCLA has two defensive backs committed to its 2023 recruiting class, but three-stars Ty Lee and Donavyn Pellot are both expected to play linebacker in college. The Bruins are in hot pursuit of four-star safety RJ Jones, who recently decommitted from Cal, but they do not have a cornerback commit in-house.

Four-star Rodrick Pleasant, the Junipero Serra (CA) recruit who is ranked as the No. 10 cornerback in the nation, is the only other non-committed corner with an offer from UCLA. The Bruins will need a commit from either Pleasant or Hill in order to add a corner to this year's class.

UCLA's 2023 recruiting class currently ranks No. 78 in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite, which is good for No. 10 in the Pac-12 and No. 63 among the 65 Power Five programs.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JYAIRE HILL/TWITTER