UCLA Football: 2015 Recruiting Class Shows Mora Building Bruins Strong

UCLA football's regular-season ending loss at Stanford may have felt like an end to some. But with the Bruins returning a veteran roster, and with head coach Jim Mora putting together an impressive 2015 recruiting class, the program's recent run of success may just be the beginning. 

"It’s a constant. It never stops. You’re always striving to be better," Mora said. "No matter what you accomplish, you're trying to accomplish more." 

This year, UCLA accomplished its third consecutive nine-plus-win season—the first time in program history that's happened. But falling short of a Pac-12 Conference title, Mora and the Bruins must continue to build. 

That starts on the recruiting trail. 

"We're on the right path, we just got to keep going in this direction [and] recruiting the right athletes," Mora said. "We're making progress." 

The 2015 recruiting class is Mora's fourth since becoming UCLA's head coach. Each of his previous three classes finished ranked No. 19 or better nationally, and a furious finish for this signing class could give Mora his best signing day crop yet. 

The build to February and signing day has already started, with the Bruins scoring three pledges in the last three weeks. 

Octavius Spencer was the most recent, committing on Tuesday. Spencer is the second cornerback prospect from Southern California to commit to the Bruins this month, joining Colin Samuel of Long Beach Poly. 

The Bruins stand pat at No. 2 in 247Sports' Pac-12 rankings, just behind rival USC. And though UCLA may trail the Trojans, Mora scored a major victory over his cross-town foe. 

School	Pac-12 Rank	National Rank	No. of Commits
USC	1	9	17
UCLA	2	13	17
Oregon	3	18	17
Arizona State	4	24	16
Washington	5	27	20
Washington State	6	32	22
Arizona	7	34	23
Utah	8	52	19
Cal	9	58	16
Stanford	10	61	11
Colorado	11	70	18
Oregon State	12	71	13

On the same night the Bruins beat the Trojans 38-20, Nov. 22, they landed 5-star defensive end Keisean Lucier-South. 

Lucier-South is the second 5-star recruit in the fold for 2015, joining ballyhooed quarterback Josh Rosen. And UCLA could secure a third such commitment this week.

UCLA is a finalist for linebacker Malik Jefferson, a 5-star target out of Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas. UCLA faithful will learn if the below image of Jefferson in Bruins blue will be reality on Friday, when the linebacker makes his announcement.  

"

#UCLA Recruit LB @Official_MalikJ [Malik Jefferson] From HS Butkus Winner to College Butkus Winner @ #UCLA #4sUp pic.twitter.com/phn8J949NJ

— FB5YS (@FB5YS) December 15, 2014"

Signing Jefferson would mark a major milestone in Mora's recruiting efforts. The coach has expanded UCLA's reach since taking over before the 2012 season, and the Lone Star State is a priority.

Last year's signing class included linebacker Zach Whitley out of Houston. This year's group already features cornerback Will Lockett, and along with Jefferson, Mora could also sign 5-star running back Soso Jamabo out of Plano West, Texas.  

Player	Position	Star Rating	High School/Hometown (State)	Also Considering
Malik Jefferson	LB	5	Poteet/Mesquite, Texas	Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M
Soso Jamabo	RB	5	Plano West/Plano, Texas	Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
Marvell Tell	S	4	Crespi/Encino, California	Oregon, USC
Josh Wariboko	OG	4	Cassady/Oklahoma City	Ohio State, Oklahoma
DeAndre McNeal	ATH	4	Poteet/Mesquite, Texas	Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

The 2014 Bruins may have fallen short of expectations, but in that failure, linebacker Myles Jack has a pitch for future teammates:

"I see the program on the brink of being something great. I see the program just right there," he said. "That's what I'd say to [recruits]." 

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.com.