Major recruiting targets from multiple classes visited the Rose Bowl to watch UCLA earn a 17-7 win over Wisconsin. TeamFB7 got some reactions from recruits on hand at the Rose Bowl.
PASADENA, Calif. — Several national recruits were on the guest list for UCLA when it took on Wisconsin Saturday at the Rose Bowl in the Bruins’ first home game in nearly a month.
Some prospects are already committed to the Bruins. Others are committed elsewhere and simply checking out the hype UCLA has been receiving lately. Some hold offers from UCLA and are still weighing their options. And some have yet to be offered by the Bruins but received a game day invite and wanted to see the new energy surrounding the program.
Here is what a handful of recruits told TeamFB7 after attending UCLA’s 17-7 win over Wisconsin:
2030 LB Aydan Steen, Santa Margarita (CA)
Aydan Steen is making a case to be the top freshman linebacker in the state. He leads Santa Margarita’s defense with 61 tackles, 14 for a loss, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked punt.
He was visiting along with several of his Santa Margarita teammates which indicates that the UCLA coaching staff is showing one of the state’s top programs hospitality.
“The game day atmosphere was great, lots of energy and excitement,” Steen said. “The defense played fast, physical, and really stood out to me. You can tell they’re building something special at UCLA. I enjoyed the visit and had a great experience.”
2028 WR Hayden Koo, Tustin (CA)
Hayden Koo has attended multiple games at the Rose Bowl this season and is always mixing it up with the other recruits on the sideline before games.
“It was a great experience, especially seeing UCLA advance to 6-0,” Koo said. “The WR group seemed to have a big role in their win this past Saturday, moving the ball with ease and spreading it around to everyone. (The) coaching staff is great and had many great conversations.”
Koo has other visits planned for the rest of the fall: USC, BYU, Oregon and Ohio State. He also mentioned possibly checking out Northwestern, Cal and Michigan.
UCLA is one of the schools in Koo’s top 12.
2027 WR Luke Frith, San Juan Hills (CA)
Luke Frith is one of the leading receivers in Orange County this season with 894 yards on 51 catches with 14 touchdowns.
He is committed to Texas State, but was checking out UCLA which features two of his former teammates: offensive lineman Cooper Javorsky and defensive lineman Gavin Blum.
San Juan Hills has built quite a pipeline to UCLA in recent years. Green Bay Packers center Sean Rhyan is a San Juan Hills alum and Utah receiver Braden Pegan began his career at UCLA.
“I had a great time at UCLA yesterday. The atmosphere was amazing, especially with how good they’ve been playing this year,” Frith said. “The coaching staff was great, and all the coaches had really good things to say about Coach Bob Chesney. Overall, it was a great experience, and I really appreciate them having me out.”
Frith seems pretty firmly committed to Texas State, but has grown up wanting to play for UCLA. The Bruins have not offered Frith and he has a commitment in hand, so a flip may be unlikely.
“UCLA has always been a dream school of mine growing up in Southern California, so it’ll always be a special place to me,” Frith said. “I’m really happy with my commitment to Texas State and excited about what we’re building there.”
2028 LB Ashton Randall, Estacada (OR)
Ashton Randall made the trip to Pasadena after having 7 tackles and rushing for 2 touchdowns Friday in Estacada’s (Oregon) win over Molalla.
He was in Southern California a couple of weeks ago visiting USC for its game against Washington.
“I think the experience was great,” Randall said. “Coaches personally reaching out to us and making sure were satisfied. The game itself was amazing and the team looks great.”
Randall was impressed by the welcoming nature of UCLA’s coaching staff and raved about the game day experience at the Rose Bowl.
“UCLA is definitely spoiling us recruits,” Randall said. “A great meal, video games, and sideline access, they know what they are doing. What stands out most from UCLA is no matter what direction you look, someone is greeting you with a smile on their face.”
2029 OL Mario Luna, Orange Lutheran (CA)
Mario Luna is just getting started with his recruiting experience but is hearing from a lot of programs, including UCLA, after having a strong sophomore season as the starting right tackle for Orange Lutheran.
He plays for offensive line coach Chris Ward, who is an UCLA alumnus. Luna spent some time with UCLA offensive line coach Chris Smith and senior director of recruiting operations Marshawn Friloux.
“UCLA visit was a great experience. It was pretty cool knowing the staff already knew who I was and had done their homework on me,” Luna said. “My favorite part was getting to talk one on one with Coach Chris Smith. I felt like he really knew how I play and what I could bring to the program. Just standing on that grass imagining myself playing there one day was crazy.”
2028 WR Grant Van Raaphorst, Santa Margarita (CA)
Grant Van Raaphorst transferred to Santa Margarita from New Jersey this summer and has made an immediate impact in Santa Margarita’s offense.
His father, Jeff Van Raaphorst, played quarterback at Arizona State and led the Sun Devils to a 1987 Rose Bowl win. He was named Rose Bowl Player of the Game and the LA Times article from that game is framed in the Rose Bowl press box.
Van Raaphorst enjoyed his interactions with the UCLA coaches and appreciates the history of the Rose Bowl.
Super cool experience,” Van Raaphorst said. “The visit was awesome and coaches were super cool. The Rose bowl is an awesome place.”
Other Notes and Quick Hits
Ohio State commit Marcus Fakatou was the marquee player among the recruits on hand and was getting the star treatment. The class of 2027 defensive lineman has been committed to Ohio State since the spring and has never indicated a desire to stay close to home to play out west.
Fakatou was among other recruits who are his friends, including UCLA commit George Toia, but said he just came to check things out at the Rose Bowl. A flip for Fakatou from Ohio State seems unlikely, but not impossible after Saturday.
Pair Of 2028 QBs Watch UCLA Take Down Wisconsin
Two high-level class of 2028 quarterbacks were in attendance: Hunter Fujikawa (Miliani, HI) and Josiah Boyd (Vista del Lago, CA). Fujikawa was on campus Friday and On3 projected a commitment to UCLA for him this weekend. He narrowed his list of schools down to six on Sunday and UCLA was one of them.
Boyd has attended multiple games at the Rose Bowl this season. He will announce a commitment on Nov. 23 and UCLA is among his top three finalists along with Oregon and Kentucky.
Class of 2027 quarterback Dane Weber was a surprising attendee at the game Saturday. The Cal commit went along with his Chaparral teammate and UCLA commit Michael “Kiko” Farinas.
Weber, who made his decision in late May, remains committed to Cal but UCLA may be making a late push to try to flip him before signing day in December.
Class of 2028 linebacker from Aberdeen, Mississippi Kaiden Buchanan was making his first trip to Southern California and announced his commitment to UCLA on Sunday. He spent Friday in Westwood and was talking with UCLA linebackers coach Vic So’oto before the game.
So’oto was also spending a lot of time with linebacker Skylar Alston of Cardinal Gibbons (North Carolina). Alston was enjoying the game day experience before the game and was talking to multiple coaches and staffers. UCLA is in his top 10 and he indicated he wants to visit again in the future.
Here are some other social media posts from recruits raving about the experience Saturday at UCLA:
2029 DL Kingston Jimmerson, Santa Margarita (CA)
2028 LB Matthew Charles, Chaminade (CA)
2029 TE Jacob Campizta, Mater Dei (CA)
2029 OL Valentino Letuli, Mater Dei (CA)
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