UCLA Football: Sophomore WR Named Starter After Transferring to Bruins

He is one of the few starting underclassmen.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA football wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. was named a starter on the Bruins' depth chart heading into their season opener at Hawaii on Saturday. Flores was listed as the starter at "Zebra," surprisingly ahead of Logan Loya, who led the team in receiving yards a season ago.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore has impressed the Bruins since transferring from Notre Dame, where he finished third among the Fighting Irish in receiving with 27 catches for 392 yards and one touchdown as a freshman.

"Rico came in and had a really good spring, followed that up with a great camp," head coach DeShaun Foster said Wednesday.

One surprise from UCLA's first depth chart was WR Rico Flores Jr. earning a starting spot out of the gate.

Foster on the Notre Dame transfer: "Rico came in and had a really good spring, followed that up with a great camp."

Mentioned Logan Loya will rotate in w/ the starters.

— Eva Geitheim (@EGeitheim) August 28, 2024

“Doesn't play like a young guy. Not at all. He's going into his sophomore year, that doesn't sounds right. He’s mature,” UCLA receiver Logan Loya said of Flores earlier this month. “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.”

Along with his maturity, the former four-star recruit has total confidence in his ability. "I'm a dawg all around," Flores said earlier this month. "I got it all I feel like. Not even I feel like, I know."

Loya was listed behind Flores on the depth chart but is still expected to play a significant role in the receiving core and offense.

"Logan's rotating in with the starters," Foster told reporters. "It's not like he's not a starter, but he's rotating and there's probably a good chance that he gets more snaps than some of the other games. It's a big rotation with four guys playing."

Loya, who joined UCLA in 2020, led the Bruins in receiving a season ago as he caught a career-high 59 passes for 655 yards and five touchdowns. His standing on the depth chart might simply be a testament to the amount of experience and talent the Bruins have at the position.

"Those guys have worked their tails off throughout spring and throughout fall camp," quarterback Ethan Garbers said of the receiving core Wednesday. "We put a lot on their plate, this offense requires receivers to do a lot, but they've all stepped up. They've all done what they needed to do."

The depth chart listed two other starters at receiver, placing J. Michael Sturdivant as the starter at X, and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala as the other starter at Z.

Sturdivant finished second on the team in receiving last season, catching 36 passes for 597 passes and four touchdowns. Sturdivant is a true deep threat with his speed and explosive ability. He was responsible for a team-leading 10 plays of over 20 yards in 2023, and even posted an average of 35.05 yards per catch during the L.A. Bowl as he hauled in four passes for 142 yards and a touchdown against Boise State.

Re-joining the starters is Mokiao-Atimalala, who did not play during the 2023 season due to injury. Mokiao-Atimalala transferred to UCLA after spending the 2021 season with the University of Central Florida, where he caught 10 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown as a freshman. In his first year at UCLA, Mokiao-Atimalala made starts in three of his 13 games as he recorded 14 catches for 201 yards.

Saturday's game will not just serve as Mokiao-Atimalala's first back from injury, but a homecoming as well. Mokiao-Atimalala is from Ewe Beach, Hawaii, and will get the chance to play against his brother, Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala, who is a member of Hawaii's football team. Mokiao-Atimalala is one of five Bruins from Hawaii, including defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.