It has been pretty quiet recently for the UCLA Bruins football program, but they are still working behind the scenes as they begin to build out their 2026 recruiting class.
The team across town has been the talk of the college football recruiting world, but the Bruins have quietly assembled a really nice class so far. Currently, their 2026 class ranks 25th with four total commitments, per On3 recruiting rankings. They had a really solid 2025 transfer portal class as well.
One position that they need to recruit well and develop is quarterback. They thought they had their QB of the future when they surprisingly landed top recruit Dante Moore in 2023, but he transferred to Oregon after just one season.
They have been in the running for elite local QB Brady Smigiel, and now the 4-star just announced that UCLA has been included in his four finalists.
NEWS: Elite 2026 QB Brady Smigiel is down to 4️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 14, 2025
The 6’4 210 QB from Newbury Park, CA is ranked as a Top 8 QB in the ‘26 Class (per On3 Industry)
Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/mwF0PRb8S2 pic.twitter.com/dHAGzINAIL
QB Brady Smigiel Puts UCLA Bruins In Top 4
The 6’4, 210-pound QB out of Newbury Park is the 7th-ranked QB in the entire 2026 class, according to On3 Industry Rankings, and he is the No. 2 quarterback in the state of California behind just Ryder Lyons.
His final four schools are:
- UCLA
- Michigan
- Washington
- South Carolina
On March 10, Smigiel received a crystal ball prediction from On3’s Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons to commit to Washington, but 4 days later, it is somewhat encouraging that the UCLA Bruins are still in the running.
Surprisingly, the only school in Smigiel’s top 4 that he has actually visited is Michigan. He has yet to visit UCLA, Washington, or South Carolina. He also does not have any official visits scheduled, but I have to believe that he is lining those up.
If the UCLA Bruins are able to land Brady Smigiel, they would skyrocket up the recruiting rankings and would have one of the top classes in the Big Ten with just 5 commitments.