UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster might be having too many things on his plate. His quarterback room has been a mess. They had taken one of the most controversial names of the first quarter, Nico Iamaleava. Feeling threatened by Iamaleava’s entry, their other quarterback, Joey Aguilar, dished him the biggest blow by switching to Tennessee. But that did not stop Foster from concentrating on his role.

It is such a valuable commodity for the Bruins to have defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe making road trips, especially to the state of Hawaii. The head coach has given his all to catch some of the biggest fish on the recruiting trail when it comes to the 2026 class. Right now, they have yet to climb up the ladder. As per On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, the Bruins sit at No.16 with a total of 19 recruits. Out of which, Foster has hunted down three 4-stars and sixteen 3-stars. They added one on June 21.

Showtime Designs posted an IG post confirming, “BREAKING: 3 ⭐️ (26’) Safety Madden Soliai tells me he’s committing to play for @uclafootball.” As per the reports, three-star cousins and teammates out of Kahuku (Hawaii) – Madden Soliai and Malaki Soliai-Tui, were supposed to make their commitments on June 21, Saturday. As of now, Foster got lucky with Madden. The safety, who is ranked as a top 10 player in the state, chose UCLA over schools like Arizona and Washington. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound star was on a visit to Westwood on June 5. Other than Foster’s squad, he had also taken trips to Boise State, San Diego State, and Colorado State. It has been only a month since UCLA extended its offer to Madden. 

Looks like Madden is already excited to board Foster’s squad. He came with a confident message, “They’re bruin up something special in the coming years in Westwood! 4sup!” Already, Foster’s squad is on the rise. Having strong ties with Hawaii, he has been a catalyst for the Bruins to offer five Hawaiian players in the 2026 recruiting class, one in the 2027 class. In Foster’s UCLA, they currently have 2025 three-star long snapper Halakilangi Muagututia Jr. signed on for his freshman season this fall. This is a major help in UCLA’s ability to recruit across the country. Already, the Bruins are ensuring to keep 133 FBS teams on edge.

DeShaun Foster is reviving old glory, coming off as a threat 

There is a small hint of how Foster and his team are rising like a phoenix. Do you know the last time UCLA could hunt down 19 commits? It was thirteen years back, in 2013. Back then, Jim Mora was in the head coaching seat. Foster is on his way to spread Mora like magic as he picked up 11 commits this month alone. Well, we don’t even have to travel that far.

As per On3’s 2025 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, they finished at No.48 with a total of 20 recruits. Out of which they had zero 5-star players, one 4-star, and eighteen 3-stars. On the Locked On UCLA podcast, host Zach Anderson-Yoxsimer shifted the spotlight to this new version of Foster, the ‘Recruitment King’. “UCLA now has gone from what was the 40s, I think, to ranking above other big-time programs in the Big 10 like the Michigan[s] of the world.” Right now, the Bruins have their eyes on the bull’s eye. And who is it?

4-star quarterback from California, Oscar Rios. As the analyst noted, “If Oscar Rios decides to go to UCLA and commit in about a week’s time, if he goes there, UCLA could absolutely push top five.” One could easily notice a Mark Sanchez-like vibe from the run game of DeShaun Foster’s hot target. However, for that, UCLA will have to fight against Arizona, as Rios thinks highly of the program. “Arizona — I love them. I love the staff. Coach Bey, Coach Brennan — those are my guys. So it’s a hard choice for sure, between home or five hours away. Right now, I’m feeling confident that we’re going to make the best choice. As a family, we’re still thinking about it. We’ve got till June 27th.” So, can Foster add another feather to his recruiter’s hat?