The former Cal commit is now Westwood-bound and is set to join the Bruins next season.
The Bruins have a new headliner for their upcoming recruiting class.
Class of 2023 safety RJ Jones has committed to UCLA football, he announced Friday on Instagram. Jones had previously been committed to Cal since February, but he reopened his recruitment on Aug. 18 – right after the Bruins officially entered the race.
News of UCLA’s offer did not come out until Aug. 1, and the Bruins have been pushing hard for him ever since.
Jones also had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boston College, BYU, Colorado, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, New Mexico, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Washington, although all of those offers came in before he even committed to the Golden Bears.
After he decommitted from Cal, he told Sports Illustrated in late August that USC, Oregon and Colorado were among the schools who were in most frequent contact with him, with Cal still remaining a top option. Oregon, Louisville, Washington and Oregon State – his father’s alma mater – were the candidates Jones mentioned as potential schools to visit, but UCLA was apparently not mentioned during the interview.
Jones has been starring at St. John Bosco (CA) this season, right alongside fellow UCLA-bound safety Ty Lee, although Lee is expected to play linebacker for the Bruins. The Braves have started 2022 with a 6-1 record, and have helped anchor a secondary and defense that is only allowing 6.9 points per game.
Across 12 games in 2021, Jones tallied 36 tackles, one interception, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections. Prior to his junior year, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back attended Bishop Alemany (CA).
UCLA has had several St. John Bosco products come through over the years, including safety Stephan Blaylock, linebacker JonJon Vaughns, receiver Logan Loya and linebacker Jake Newman.
Jones is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, although he has just three stars from On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Jones is the No. 24 player in California, the No. 36 safety in the country and the No. 390 overall prospect in his class.
That makes Jones the Bruins’ new highest-ranked recruit, considering four-star running back Roderick Robinson flipped his commitment to Georgia on Monday. UCLA still has two four-star commits like it did a week ago, but now they both play on the defensive side of the ball – Jones and linebacker Tre Edwards.
Five of the Bruins’ seven commits are defensive players.
Jones’ commitment bumps the Bruins’ class from No. 91 in the country to No. 85. One of the teams they leapt was Cal, meaning UCLA now possesses the No. 10 recruiting class in the Pac-12.
This marks the second year in a row that UCLA has reeled in a four-star safety, with Kamari Ramsey committing back in 2021. Like Jones, Ramsey was also the Bruins’ highest-rated recruit in his cycle.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RJ JONES/INSTAGRAM