Speedy 2023 cornerback Rodrick Pleasant earns UCLA offer after campus visit

The Junipero Serra defensive back also has offers from Arizona State, USC and Texas
(Photo Courtesy of Rodrick Pleasant)

The Bruins' dead period is officially over, and they're starting off their mid-summer recruiting run with a big local offer.

UCLA football offered cornerback Rodrick Pleasant a scholarship Wednesday after hosting the class of 2023 defensive back on a visit earlier in the day. Pleasant is entering his junior season at Junipero Serra (CA), located just 17 miles south of Westwood, and he was high school teammates with incoming UCLA freshman defensive back Devin Kirkwood.

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Pleasant has over a dozen Division I offers, including ones from Texas, USC, Tennessee, Oregon, Arizona State and others.

In addition to spending some time at receiver, Pleasant also doubles as a track star. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Gardena native runs a 10.32-second 100-meter dash, faster than the 10.44-second time UCLA running back Kazmeir Allen posted when he won the California State Championships in 2018.

Pleasant is labeled as a four-star recruit in the 247Sports composite ratings, ranking as the No. 17 player in California and No. 22 cornerback in the country. The local athlete recently appeared in front of scouts and coaches at The Opening Invitational, a 7-on-7 camp in Manhattan Beach that took place from July 1-3.

The defining trait for Pleasant is obviously his speed, as he has been heralded as one of the fastest prospects on the West Coast. His coverage skills have upside as well though, just looking at some recent tape of him shutting down 6-foot-5 four-star wideout Ja'Kobi Lane and 6-foot-3 four-star receiver Williams Fowles in practice.

UCLA has yet to secure a commit for its 2023 recruiting class. Of its 10 commits for the class of 2022, none are cornerbacks.

Needless to say, adding Pleasant into the fold would be a major plus for the Bruins' staff.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon was the Publisher and Managing Editor at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s All Bruins from 2021 to 2023. He is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s Fastball. He previously covered UCLA football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country and golf for The Daily Bruin from 2017 to 2021, serving as the paper's Sports Editor from 2019 to 2020. Connon has also been a contributor for 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' BruinBlitz, Dash Sports TV, SuperWestSports, Prime Time Sports Talk, The Sports Life Blog and Patriots Country, Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s New England Patriots site. His work as a sports columnist has been awarded by the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon graduated from UCLA in June 2021 and is originally from Winchester, Massachusetts.