JuJu Johnson explains how UCLA flipped his recruitment.

“I love it. It feels so natural. In this day and age of college football, once you get that natural feeling, you should just stick with it. That’s what I’m doing so I trust the process and I’m ready to build something.”

Through a recruitment that saw Oklahoma as the big-time frontrunner through his junior season – and it looked like a Sooners’ commitment was coming in December before Johnson decided to hold off – and then Miami made a serious run, UCLA’s new coaching staff quickly ingratiated itself with Johnson and landed a pledge.

From coach Bob Chesney to position coaches Colin Lockett, Eddie Whitley Jr. and others, Johnson has great relationships across the board at UCLA and that played a big factor in his recruitment.

“I’m close with the whole staff,” Johnson said.

Staying home wasn’t the move just months ago. The Long Beach Poly standout openly admits that but after seeing what Chesney has in store for the Bruins, putting on for his city and making an impact up the road became much more attractive.

“I didn’t necessarily want to stay in California,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t really anything to stay for. UCLA with (DeShaun) Foster, he was a cool coach but they weren’t like that to where I needed to go there.

“I was leaning more toward Oklahoma or Miami but with the new staff with Chesney, it just happened to flip. It was a switch for me and it was a switch for them and I liked it.

“I was surprised. I didn’t think it was going to be like this. UCLA hasn’t been on the top these past years but I love what they have in store. It’s my own city. We’re turning up the city. We’re bringing the vibes back to the city. Everybody says SC but now it’s going to be UCLA.”