LOS ANGELES — Khary Darlington and the UCLA football recruiting staff had a whirlwind last few months.

Commits dropped like flies as the university fired head coach DeShaun Foster – a fairly expected occurrence after a coaching change – after a 0-3 start and the Bruins’ recruiting rankings plummeted across all college football recruitment sites.

“There’s been tears on both ends of the phone call,” said Darlington, the program’s general manager. “There’s been sleepless nights.”

Recruiting was a bright spot under Foster, with a top-25 class before his departure. It was up to Darlington and Co. – including assistant general manager Steven Price and senior director of recruiting operations Marshawn Friloux – to salvage the 2026 class.

On Wednesday, UCLA football announced the signings of

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