Prediction: UCLA Bruins poised to land one of West's top linebackers

The UCLA Bruins appeared to have turned the corner last year - both on the field and on the recruiting trail, culminating with the dramatic flip of consensus five-star quarterback Dante Moore.

While it's been a bit of a slow start to the 2024 recruiting cycle, things could be picking up in a hurry.

UCLA began hosting official visits earlier this month and may have already hit a home run.

Prediction: Isaiah Patterson to UCLA Bruins

Yelm (Washington) three-star linebacker Isaiah Patterson is one of the top 'backers in the West region and holds offers from Arizona State, Boise State, BYU, Oregon, UCLA and Washington State.

But so far, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound defender has scheduled (and now already taken) just one official visit.

And that was an all-important trip to Los Angeles.

"It really just met and exceeded all of my expectations, honestly," Patterson said. "From the players to the coaches to the strength and conditioning staff, everything about it felt right. I had three or four meetings with Coach Kelly and he followed up with me and my family the night we got back from the visit and the following day" 

The Yelm star also indicated UCLA could wind up being home.

"Overall, they did a really good job of impressing me, and I could definitely see myself being there in the future," Patterson said. "UCLA is definitely up there. I think UCLA is a place I could call home. Some good things could definitely happen in the near future."

A decision date has not been set, but with no other official visits locked in and UCLA being a favorite even before the trip, it seems "Patterson to UCLA" is the most likely conclusion to his recruitment. 

UCLA's current three-man 2024 recruiting class is headlined by Mater Dei (California) four-star defensive back Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins. 

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