CB Rodrick Pleasant Puts UCLA in Top 5, Reveals Commitment Date
One of the top uncommitted defensive backs in the country has announced his final five and impending commitment date.
Class of 2023 Junipero Serra (CA) product Rodrick Pleasant cut down his list of finalists from six to five on Tuesday, he announced on Twitter. UCLA football made the cut alongside Boston College, Cal, Oregon and USC, while Penn State was left on the chopping block.
The Bruins, who have been a contender for Pleasant ever since he included them in his top 12 back in February 2022, also announced he would be making his commitment on Feb. 1 – National Signing Day.
Pleasant's most recent official visit was to Westwood on Dec. 16, and he has officially visited each school in his top five besides USC.
UCLA originally offered Pleasant in July 2021 following an unofficial visit to campus. Defensive backs coach Brian Norwood originally offered the athlete and has been keeping up his recruitment of the 5-foot-11 prospect ever since.
Pleasant boasts four-star ratings from 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Pleasant ranks as the No. 7 recruit in California, the No. 9 cornerback in the country and the No. 86 overall prospect in his class.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Pleasant is the No. 3 prospect in the country and No. 1 prospect in California who remains uncommitted. If he were to pick the Bruins, Pleasant would immediately become the highest-rated defensive recruit to commit to UCLA since coach Chip Kelly arrived in November 2017, and the fourth-highest overall behind Dante Moore, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Sean Rhyan.
Pleasant played both cornerback and wide receiver for Junipero Serra during the 2022 campaign. Helping to lead his team to a 7-5 record, Pleasant tallied 30 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, four interceptions, seven pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
On offense, Pleasant caught five passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Pleasant added two touchdowns on kick returns during the 2022 season.
MaxPreps named Pleasant to their High School Football All-America Team on Tuesday, awarding him one of the four First Team defensive back spots.
Pleasant is a track and field athlete as well, running a state-record 10.14-second 100-meter dash in 2022.
Former Wyoming transfer Azizi Hearn ran out of eligibility following the 2022 season, opening up some room for Pleasant to play right away in Westwood. Devin Kirkwood, John Humphrey and Jaylin Davies will all return to the cornerback room after picking up significant playing time, but they may need some serious reinforcements considering they each played a part in the Pac-12's second-worst passing defense this fall.
None of the 13 players who signed their National Letters of Intent with UCLA during December's Early Signing Period are expected to play corner. Three-star Los Alamitos (CA) commit Ethan O'Connor plays the position, but he has not signed with the program yet.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RODRICK PLEASANT/INSTAGRAM
