Chip Kelly’s first season in Los Angeles only resulted in the UCLA Bruins winning a total of three games. Kelly is looking to completely rebuild the program over time and his recruiting efforts are working towards that.
Winning a total of three games in 2018 probably isn’t something that Chip Kelly and his coaching staff are all that proud of. But, UCLA is working to build for the future and Kelly took the first steps towards doing just that during his first season there. He’s also working on that right now with his first real recruiting class.
This batch of recruits isn’t quite what UCLA fans were hopeful for. Fans of the Bruins saw Kelly and UCLA put together the No. 19 recruiting class for the 2018 cycle. Given all of the circumstances, that had to feel like an astonishing accomplishment.
But after a 3-9 season in 2018, having the No. 43 recruiting class has to be frustrating to see for UCLA fans. This program could be doing better both on the field and then on the recruiting trail. It’ll probably just take some more time for UCLA to get to where it wants to be. Patience is required for that part.
Chase Griffin isn’t the most physically imposing quarterback, but he probably fits right into Chip Kelly’s offense.
There weren’t many high profile college football teams that were all that interested in recruiting Chase Griffin of Hutto, Texas to play quarterback for them. The folks in the Ivy League were certainly intrigued in UCLA’s newest quarterback though.
Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia all came calling for Griffin’s services. Schools not too far from his home such as North Texas and Incarnate Word showed their interest in Griffin as well. But it was UCLA and Chip Kelly that really gave the 5-foot-10, 188-pound quarterback a chance to make his name known in college football.
Kelly is known for explosive offenses and for getting the most out of his quarterbacks at the college level. When he was at Oregon, his teams would move up and down the field with ease, dashing past their opponents.
Griffin and Kelly might be able to do just that in the future. At least, that’s what the duo are hoping for.
Here’s what the 2019 recruiting class looks like for the Bruins according to 247Sports:
Not a lot was truly expected from Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins with this recruiting class (or this past season, to be completely honest), but it felt like more could have been done here. UCLA had the No. 19 recruiting class in the country a season ago and has plummeted all the way down to No. 43 this season.
Kelly is working on building this program and is doing everything he can to do that over time, but his teams need better recruits and more talent if UCLA is going to become a team that opponents fear once again.