UCLA gets ball rolling to sign last of promising 2019 football prospects
UCLA football has signed 15 players for its 2019 recruiting class with 13 days to go until National Signing Day. Four-star recruit and recent USC decommit Jordan Wilmore, who has the Bruins in his top three, is one of the highest ranked remaining prospects on Chip Kelly’s board. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Sam Connon
Jan. 24, 2019 1:12 a.m.
Two weeks remain for coach Chip Kelly to round out his 2019 recruiting class.
UCLA football has just 17 commits for this year’s class – tied for second-fewest in the Pac-12 – but Kelly and the Bruins have been making their final push over the past few weeks, visiting multiple high schools every day and hosting several visiting prospects every weekend.
There are still four four-stars on UCLA’s radar, and the highlight player is recent USC-decommit all-purpose back Jordan Wilmore.
Wilmore, who is 5 feet, 8 inches and 200 pounds, decommitted from USC after former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury left to coach the Arizona Cardinals. The tailback – who totaled 7,488 yards and 82 touchdowns from scrimmage in his three seasons at Lawndale High School – is choosing between UCLA, Utah and Arizona State.
Wilmore can line up outside the numbers, as well as in the backfield, making him a versatile weapon that fits well in Kelly’s offensive scheme.
The running back visited the Wasserman Football Center on Friday and was joined by three-star guard signee Josh Carlin, three-star athlete Kenyon Reed and three-star receiver Charles Njoku.
Njoku measures in at 6 feet, 5 inches, which gives him a comparable frame to freshman receiver Michael Ezeike.
Reed is expected to commit to UCLA if he receives an official offer, while Carlin signed in the early signing period in December.
Inside linebacker Daniel Heimuli is the highest rated prospect left on the Bruins’ recruiting board, but he is favored to go to Washington. The Menlo Park, California, native is the No. 200 player in his class and is rated as the No. 13 inside linebacker.
UCLA is also one of four-star outside linebacker Eugene Asante’s final three choices. Though Asante came to Westwood for a visit Jan. 11, his hometown team Virginia Tech is the favorite to sign him. Defensive end Steven Parker from Dallas is the final four-star left on the recruiting board and the Bruins are also in his top three.
German defensive tackle and three-star recruit Joseph Appiah Darkwa also visited UCLA on Jan. 11. Darkwa played for the Duesseldorf Panther and is the No. 3 prospect in Germany.
The only four-star Kelly currently has wrapped up is offensive lineman Sean Rhyan. The 6-foot-4 1/2-inch guard weighs in at 324 pounds and is projected to take over a starting spot from day one. UCLA does not have a five-star commit and is currently not pursuing any publicly.
Kelly’s 2019 class ranks No. 47 in the country and No. 8 in the Pac-12.
