The UCLA Bruins drew new intrigue late Saturday night out in Berkeley. Fans who stayed up late watched new head coach Bob Chesney’s debut end in impressive fashion. The Bruins blew the game open after a tightly-knitted three-quarter affair before rolling to the 45-24 romp of Cal.
That UCLA win not only won over UCLA alums and fans who are itching for national relevancy again. But also grabbed the attention of one prized four-star recruit.
And now this defensive back is seriously considering UCLA after what he just witnessed in the Bay Area this past Saturday. Even sharing “I really like them a lot.”
Recruit Won Over by UCLA
Palos Verdes High Class of 2028 safety Jalen Flowers paid close attention to this version of the Bruins.
Granted, he tells Greg Biggins of Rivals that UCLA and him have been in regular contact leading into the 2026 season opener. So Flowers is indeed a high priority for Chesney and the Big Ten university.
However, Flowers dropped a more glowing take of UCLA in his Monday conversation with the national recruiting analyst.
“UCLA is on the rise and I really like them a lot too,” Flowers bluntly said.
He then pulled back the curtain on how Chesney’s regime is making him feel.
“The new staff came in and immediately made me feel like I was a priority for them,” Flowers told Biggins. “I was the first DB they offered in my class and that meant a lot to me. The coaches have been recruiting me hard ever since they came in. I’m excited to watch them this season and and I definitely think coach Chesney is going to turn things around.”
Words Become Encouraging for UCLA Here
While Flowers still has a ways to go with signing his letter of intent, his words are extremely welcoming for Chesney and company.
So this means a prominent local recruit is becoming drawn to the new era. Flowers’ words also show that this UCLA staff won’t be an offer-then-forget school.
The Bruins became infamous for over-offering players before Chesney’s arrival. Often times UCLA would offer a talent, but dished out the non-committable offers. This approach ultimately helped lead to the end of the Jim Mora era despite the success there. Then Chip Kelly became more furtive about which recruits UCLA would go after, yet became enamored with who’d fit his system instead of pursuing the best in the backyard.
Kelly’s predecessor DeShaun Foster rose as an established recruiter. But became disorganized as a head coach and ultimately, got removed from his post early last season. But now Chesney has won over a pivotal local talent especially following the Bruins’ dominating fourth quarter out in Berkeley.
Flowers isn’t the only major Southern California talent UCLA is after. Chesney even leaned into legendary Bruins quarterback Troy Aikman to help with a flip attempt of Ohio State quarterback commit Brady Edmunds, who stars at Huntington Beach. Now Flowers rises as the next major recruit who’s becoming convinced about what’s going on in Westwood.
Prized 4-Star Recruit Now Intrigued by UCLA, Bob Chesney: ‘I Really Like Them a Lot’