UCLA Football: Rico Flores Jr. Was 'Nervous' Committing to Bruins After Chip Kelly Departure

Jeremy Hanna | Aug 5, 2024

Nov 18, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. (17) signals for a first down in the second quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 season is going to mark major changes for UCLA football. New head coach DeShaun Foster and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy are surely going to change things up after Chip Kelly led the team for six years.

This includes bringing in multiple new players to the program. One of the most exciting additions to the roster is sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr.

Originally playing for Notre Dame, Flores was the Fighting Irish's second-leading receiver across 12 games. He ended the season with 27 receptions for 392 yards and a touchdown.

This was reflective of his high school career, where he finished with 201 receptions for 3,222 yards and 32 touchdowns. Now, he seems to be happy back home in California.

"It's just a better situation for me, I feel like," Flores told media. "And as of right now, it seems like it paid off. I made the right decision. I left it all in God's hands, at the end of the day. I prayed on it very hard, so I'm here at UCLA and proud to be a Bruin."

That being said, he still had some reservations about heading to Los Angeles, especially after former head coach Chip Kelly left the program in February.

“I just had to wait and see,” Flores said. “I was praying on it when that happened, too. A little nervous, but in life, you are going to be nervous and you have to prepare for the worst.”

Flores' new teammates had nothing but positive things to say about the California native, including quarterback Ethan Garbers.

“Rico has been phenomenal,” Garbers said, per James H. Williams of the Los Angeles Daily News. “He’s a really explosive guy that has great hands and he has a very wide range. He’s a really smart guy and he’s always in my ear about what he can do better … he’s a very feedback-oriented guy. I love that.”

Fellow Bruins wide receiver Logan Loya was also impressed by Flores' work ethic.

“He’s mature,” Loya said. “He acts like an old dude, acts like he’s been here … a very hard worker and competitor and that’s something that I’m glad we brought in because it just makes the whole room better, having people like that.”

If Flores continues with this attitude and keeps performing well, there's no doubt that UCLA will be in good hands.

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