Four-star DB Juju Johnson commits to UCLA: ‘They’re building something special’

Long Beach Poly (Calif.) athlete Juju Johnson just announced his commitment to UCLA and broke down why he chose the Bruins.

It’s fair to say UCLA is on a recruiting roll right now, the kind we haven’t seen from them in years. They’re well on their way to finishing with their first top 25 recruiting class since 2018 and Johnson is a big piece of that.

Johnson is rated a four-star prospect and the No. 67 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services. This despite missing his entire junior season with a lower leg injury.

Prior to the injury, Johnson was a consensus top 50 prospect with the ability to play corner or receiver at the college level. He’s now back to full speed and will be full go for Spring ball at Poly and will play his college football close to home.

“I’m very excited to be a Bruin,” Johnson said. “They have a good thing going right now, there’s a new energy and they’re building something special and I want to be a part of that.”

Johnson has been a frequent visitor to UCLA this off-season and the more times he stepped on campus, the more comfortable he felt.

“I was there for about five or six practices,” Johnson said. “They would hit me up all the time and invite up there and if I didn’t have anything else going on, I would drive up.

“Sometimes I would visit just to hang out, even if practice wasn’t going on. This is home for me but  there was a time when I didn’t really think I would be going to school here. UCLA wasn’t a top choice for me but I love the new staff and can’t wait to play for them.”

UCLA DB coach Eddie Whitley was the lead recruiter with Johnson.

“Coach Whit is super cool and I love talking ball with him,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good coach and someone I’m very comfortable with.

“When I’m talking with him, it doesn’t even feel like I’m talking with a coach, it feels like I’m talking with a friend. We can talk about anything and he’s someone who loves ball just as much as I do and I can’t wait to learn from him.”

New head coach Bob Chesney made a big impact on Johnson’s recruitment as well.

“I love his energy and how he runs practice,” Johnson said. “He’s someone I can trust and one of the brightest if not the brightest head coaches I’ve been around. I’ve taken a lot of visits and talked to a lot of coaches but coach Chesney is so authentic.

“He’s a winner and his resume speaks for itself. On one hand, yeh it would be nice to see the results on the field first but I believe in him and I know he’s going to turn things around. I think UCLA can win right away and that’s why I felt ready to commit now and make my decision earlier than I originally expected.”