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UCLA Football Recruiting: 4-Star DT Tyler Manoa Commits to the Bruins

UCLA got another commitment this morning when the highly-sought after recruit from St. Francis High in Mountain View announced he’s coming to Westwood.

By Joe Piechowski
UCLA coaches Chip Kelly and Jerry Azzinaro visited Tyler Manoa at St. Francis High in Mountain View last night.
@sfhsathletics

Tyler Manoa has been on UCLA’s recruiting radar for quite some time. In fact, he officially visited Westwood back in October.

While that may seem like ages ago, given everything that has transpired with the Bruin Football program since then. Manoa has continued to be interested in UCLA.

The coaching change from Jim Mora to Chip Kelly hasn’t kept the Bruins from pursuing Manoa. In fact, last night, Bruin coaches Chip Kelly and Jerry Azzinaro were on campus at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, CA to visit much-sought-after recruit 4-star defensive tackle. To top it off, the athletic department at St. Francis tweeted a picture of Kelly, Azzinaro and Manoa in the St. Francis gym.

It would seem like last night’s visit helped seal the deal because, this morning, Manoa officially committed to UCLA.

Manoa is a 6’5” tall and weighs 294 pounds. 247Sports ranks him as the 26th best defensive tackle nationwide in the class of 2018. From looking at Manoa’s senior year highlights on Hudl.com, he seems to have the same traits and characteristics we’ve been seeing from the other defensive line recruits. That is, he’s long, quick and agile. He’s able to penetrate into the backfield and will pursue the play wherever the ball is, even if it means running halfway across the field.

Take a look for yourself:


With his commitment, Manoa becomes the 21st member of UCLA Bruins 2018 recruiting class.

For those who are just tuning in to football recruiting because National Signing Day is on Wednesday, here’s a table with the entire 2018 UCLA recruiting class listed.

2018 UCLA Football Recruiting Class

Recruit Name Position Current School Composite Rating NLI Submitted?
Recruit Name Position Current School Composite Rating NLI Submitted?
Bryan Addison ATH Junipero Serra (Gardena, CA) 4-Star Yes
Stephan Blaylock S St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) 4-Star Yes
Bo Calvert LB Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, CA) 4-Star Yes
Chase Cota WR South Medford (Medford, OR) 4-Star Yes
Kyle Philips WR San Marcos (San Marcos, CA) 4-Star Yes
Kazmeir Allen RB Tulare Union (Tulare, CA) 3-Star Yes
Alec Anderson OT Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) 3-Star Yes
Atonio Mafi DT Junipero Serra (San Mateo, CA) 3-Star Yes
Tyler Manoa DT St. Francis (Mountain View, CA) 4-Star No
Chris Murray OL Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) 4-Star No
Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) 4-Star No
Elijah Wade DE Arbor View (Las Vegas, NV) 4-Star No
Matt Alaimo TE St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) 3-Star No
Je'Vari Anderson LB/DB Laney College (Oakland, CA) 3-Star No
Baraka Beckett OL Palisades (Pacific Palisades, CA) 3-Star No
Kenny Churchwell S Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, AZ) 3-Star No
Elisha Guidry DB Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, CA) 3-Star No
Delon Hurt WR Servite (Anaheim, CA) 3-Star No
Patrick Jolly, Jr. ATH Newsome (Lithia, FL) 3-Star No
Steven Mason DE Southwestern College (Chula Vista, CA) 3-Star No
CJ Parks WR Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) 3-Star No
David Priebe TE Midway (Waco, TX) 3-Star No
Tyree Thompson LB LA Valley College (Los Angeles, CA) 3-Star No
Composite Ratings are from 247Sports.com.


It’s pretty amazing what new coach Chip Kelly has done over roughly the past month. The recruiting class only had 11 recruits in it prior to the US Army All-American Bowl, but, since then, the coaches have basically doubled the size of the class and they’re not done yet.

At this point, I won’t be surprised to see at least four more guys decide they want to be Bruins and it could be even more.

But, right now, it’s time to celebrate Tyler Manoa’s decision to become a Bruin.

Welcome to Westwood, Tyler!


Go Bruins!!!

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