RB Duece Jones-Drew, son of NFL All-Pro, commits to UCLA

Class of 2027 running back Duece Jones-Drew, the son of former NFL All-Pro Maurice Jones-Drew, has committed to UCLA, he told ESPN on Sunday.

Jones-Drew, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound runner from De La Salle High School in California, is a three-star prospect for the 2027 cycle. He committed to the Bruins and first-year UCLA coach Bob Chesney over Arizona and Cal after a weekend visit for the program’s spring game.

The commitment allows Jones-Drew to follow in his father’s footsteps with the Bruins football program, where the elder Jones-Drew became a record-setting punt returner and unanimous All-American at UCLA from 2003 to 2005. A second-round selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2006 NFL Draft, Jones-Drew made three Pro Bowl appearances over nine NFL seasons, leading the league running and earning All-Pro honors. in 2011.

The younger Jones-Drew narrowed his finalists down to Arizona, Cal, SMU, UCLA and Utah this spring.

He told ESPN that his recruitment was heavily influenced by Bruins running backs coach AJ Steward, a holdover from former coach DeShaun Foster’s staff, and the new energy he felt within the program during his two visits to UCLA following Chesney’s arrival late last year.

“Coach Chesney’s experience as a winner sets them apart for me,” Jones-Drew said. “He won everywhere. He took James Madison to the College Football Playoff. Think of what he can do at UCLA.”

Jones-Drew’s commitment marks the program’s seventh addition in the 2027 class since April 30 and continues a torrid recent recruiting streak for the Bruins and Chesney, the 48-year-old coach who led JMU to the CFP and a 12-2 mark last fall before taking over at UCLA.

After four-star defensive tackle George Toia (No. 60 overall) committed to the Bruins on Thursday, the program beat out Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas A&M for four-star offensive guard Jackson Roper (No. 210) on Friday.

Over the weekend, UCLA secured pledges from two top-100 cornerbacks, four-star in-state JuJu Johnson (No. 36) and Jerry Outhouse Jr. (No. 83), a former Georgia commit. Three-star wide receiver Rob Larson announced his commitment to UCLA on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins’ 2026 recruiting class finished outside of ESPN’s top 75 classes earlier this year despite several late additions after Chesney took over the program in December. UCLA now holds commitments from six SC Next 300 recruits and 16 overall prospects in the 2027 class following Jones-Drew’s commitment.