Demetrice Martin built an early, practically insurmountable lead.
Landing six defensive backs by Christmas, the UCLA secondary coach added two more before the spring transfer portal window closed, making this race appear to be a runaway.
Before long, a formidable challenger emerged. Closing fast in the battle to become the Bruins’ top recruiter on an almost entirely new coaching staff was Andy Kwon.
Having helped snag four transfers — a few of whom committed before his hiring — the offensive line coach went on to secure verbal commitments from two four-star high school prospects from Florida, the kind of highly coveted out-of-region talent that UCLA had seen go elsewhere in recent years.
The heated duel to see who could secure the best players, which included every new assistant and holdovers Ikaika Malloe and Jerry Neuheisel, was a welcome surprise to coach DeShaun Foster.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t know they were going to compete about the recruiting the way that they’re doing,” Foster said recently of his new assistants. “I knew that they like to recruit, but they’re competing.”
So who’s atop the leaderboard?
“Meat came out of the blocks hot for a little bit,” Foster said, referring to Martin’s nickname, “and then Andy came in, so I’m gonna think right now it’s Andy, and then coach Meat.”
Along the way, the assistants understood that crossing the finish line first meant they would be helping everybody win.
UCLA’s 2026 recruiting class that is ranked No. 22 nationally by 247Sports.com is on pace to become the Bruins’ best since they finished No. 19 in 2018, the latter success largely a result of the efforts of the staff that was in place before coach Chip Kelly’s arrival.
“If they win some games this year and look competitive,” said Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, “they could really have a legitimate top-20 recruiting class.”
Kwon and Martin faced plenty of worthy competition in their bid to reach the top. Safeties coach Gabe Lynn offered a huge assist in helping Martin restock the secondary. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri aided Foster and others in the acquisition of Nico Iamaleava, the biggest catch of the spring. Running backs coach A.J. Steward and wide receivers coach Burl Toler III were part of a combined effort to bring in tailback Jaivian Thomas, the prized transfer tailback from California who knew Toler when Toler was an assistant with the Golden Bears.
On it went, the entire staff working to outdo one another in service of the team.
“It’s been awesome,” said Malloe, the defensive coordinator who helped defensive line coach Jethro Franklin import four transfers. “I mean, it’s like the whole, you know, who wants to win the knife set, right? Who’s gonna get that prize? And I think our coaching staff is so competitive that as a byproduct of it, we’re starting to bring in guys that really fit our culture and then talent-wise, we’re bringing in guys that I think we’re thankful for.”
The expected payoff from the next high school class is more than a decent season ending in a bowl game; the Bruins are vying for something unprecedented.
“They’re trying to get a playoff run with my class,” said Cooper Javorsky, an offensive lineman from San Juan Hills High who committed in June, “so the image I have being in my head is with my class, we’re going to try to do great things and take it as far as we can.”
Javorsky is one of three offensive linemen in the class alongside tackle Johnnie Jones and interior offensive lineman Micah Smith, the four-star Floridians. Biggins cautioned that players from the East Coast can be hard to hold onto — Jones has reportedly scheduled a visit to Florida State for the Seminoles’ season opener against Alabama.
“I always say that there’s a danger in recruiting out of region because it’s harder to babysit those guys,” Biggins said, “and you’ve got to know that those local schools out there are going to stay on those guys the whole entire year, and if UCLA starts to slip up a little bit, then those schools are going to be all over them.”
If Jones and Smith crave honest critiques about what they need to do to live up to their billing, maybe they’ll stick with their commitments. Kwon has developed a reputation as a straight shooter who isn’t afraid to sling some verbal darts in his efforts to maximize players’ talent.
“He was very honest with me, you know, he wasn’t lying to me about anything, he spoke to me exactly how it was,” Javorsky said. “Like, when I went on my official [visit], he wasn’t just hyping me up and all that, he was telling me stuff I did wrong and stuff he’s going to help me fix.”
Javorsky’s to-do list? Staying low in his blocks and developing proper hand placement and footwork will be top priorities upon his enrollment before spring practice in 2026. Guard Julian Armella, a transfer from Florida State who projects as one of at least three new starters on the offensive line, said it’s common for players to stay after practice or meet individually with Kwon to perfect their technique.
As far as Martin’s recruiting success goes, these are far from the first wins he’s logged in Westwood. The veteran has nearly attained legendary status after being part of a staff that brought in six consecutive top-20 recruiting classes under coach Jim Mora. A personable demeanor that helps him relate to players, parents and high school coaches is among Martin’s biggest assets.
“He’s fun to talk to, he’s high-energy, he’s easy to talk with, he’s very intelligent,” Biggins said. “So if you want to talk scheme, you can do that. If you want to talk — coaches nowadays, you always hear kids saying, ‘Hey, we talked forever and it wasn’t even about football’ — he can do that, too.”
UCLA did not make either Martin or Kwon available to discuss their recruiting accomplishments despite repeated requests since the start of training camp July 30. But those who have interacted with the assistants had plenty to say about the root of their success.
Justin Lewis, a cornerback from Rancho Cucamonga High, credited Martin’s relentlessness.
“He was on me nonstop,” said Lewis, who flipped his commitment from North Carolina to UCLA as soon as the Bruins offered him a scholarship, “so it was pretty hard to say no to him with all the things he was telling me with what he was letting me know and how he was telling me they would be able to use me.”
Transfers and high school recruits alike have also pointed to the family atmosphere cultivated by Foster, who hosted prospects at his home over five weekends in May and June. After sinking a jumper from well beyond the three-point arc on the basketball goal in his yard, Foster took a victory lap around his pool with one finger held aloft as part of a sequence that led to the commitment of high school defensive lineman Yahya Gaad.
“They told me if I hit this jumper, I’m gonna get a commit,” said Foster, careful not to mention any unsigned recruits by name. “Went up there, hit the ‘J’ and he committed.”
Some might point out that UCLA’s 2026 high school class ranks only seventh in the Big Ten — behind top-ranked USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Washington, according to 247Sports.com — but Biggins said the Bruins’ talent haul is good enough to help them compete with their conference brethren.
“The teams with the most talent win the most games and that’s always been proven,” Biggins said. “Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t win if you have the seventh-ranked recruiting class because it still comes down to coaching and development, and that’s always going to be a huge factor. So you want to have guys that when you put them on the same field, it doesn’t look like they’re playing different sports.
“I think a couple of years ago, you looked at the sideline and you looked at them and other schools and you’re going, OK, this is like the JV going against the varsity. So I think if you bring in comparable talent, which UCLA is, then you’ve got a chance to win; now it’s scheme and coaching and development.”
After years of seemingly jogging in place, the Bruins could be in the running for something special thanks in large part to the assistants who ran their own race.
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