UCLA Football: 4-Star LB Lists Bruins Among Top 3 Preferred School Destinations

It's a testament to a dynamite recruiting effort.

Dec 31, 2013; El Paso, TX, USA; The UCLA Bruins logo is displayed on the looker room door before they face the Virginia Tech Hokies at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports / Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Four-star linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, of Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, has culled down his list of college choices to three schools, including the UCLA Bruins, according to Bruin Report Online.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect, a rising senior, is considered the best player in Washington state, the 14th-best linebacker in the nation, and 111th-best player in the country overall, according to 247Sports.

With new head coach DeShaun Foster at the helm and fresh defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe taking over for D'Anton Lynn, the Blue and Gold seem to be putting a renewed focus on recruiting this offseason. Former head coach Chip Kelly, now the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, was never big on that process, and as a result he left the Bruins with what is widely considered a fairly lackluster crop for the 2024 NCAA season, which will be UCLA's first in the Big 10 conference.

Rainey-Sale could be a boon to the Foster/Malloe era club's reinvigorated defensive attack (he was recruited by Malloe). He is also pondering a collegiate future with the Florida State Seminoles and Washington Huskies. It remains to be seen exactly how he'll move forward with regards to his NCAA decision, but it's encouraging that the Bruins made the cut among these three finalists. It's a testament to a dynamite recruiting effort, reportedly done via Malloe. He also had been considering the mighty Alabama and Arizona prior to this more streamlined top three.

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