UCLA Football: Bruins Listed Low In New ESPN Recruiting Rankings

Here's where the Bruins rank in ESPN's preseason SP+ rankings.

The UCLA Bruins will come into the 2024 season looking vastly different from their 2023 season. They will lose some players to the NFL draft and transfer portal; however, it doesn't stop there. The Bruins also have a new head coach, UCLA alumni, and Atheltic Hall of Famer DeShaun Foster. 

Foster will be tasked with leading this new era of Bruin football. While there's a sense of fresh air for the Bruins, the latest ESPN winter preseason SP+ ranking says otherwise. ESPN's Bill Connelly calculates schools' rankings based on returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history. 

The Bruins aren't popping off the page in any of these rankings at the moment. In the category of returning production, the Bruins come in at 95th in that ranking. Only 51% of their production from last year is returning, as they've lost a ton on both sides of the ball due to the transfer portal and NFL draft. 

UCLA can always climb up the rankings as spring ball commences, with many players still looking for a new school. 

As for recruiting, the Bruins come in at 74th in the nation in the 2024 cycle. UCLA has 21 committed players, 10 from traditional recruiting and 11 from the transfer portal. 

The Bruins are coming off a solid season in 2023, where they finished with an 8-5 overall record and a 4-5 record in the Pac-12. UCLA has finished with plus wins in the last three seasons. While those seasons have been somewhat successful, UCLA will look to reach another level under Foster. 

Let's see if this new regime can lead the Bruins to a higher ranking in the spring.