Looking back on the 2023 Rivals recruiting rankings can be a fascinating exercise for UCLA followers.

It was December 2022 when the promise of flipping five-star quarterback Dante Moore from Oregon brought flashes of hope in what would be Chip Kelly’s final year at the helm. Moore finished as the nation’s No. 5 overall recruit in the Rivals rankings.

Meanwhile, Tennessee-bound five-star Nico Iamaleava was only behind top-ranked Texas quarterback Arch Manning in the same class.

Then, there was Louisville-bound Pierce Clarkson. He was a four-star talent at nearby Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, a recruiting pipeline for UCLA. Clarkson was ranked 193rd nationally and second among all dual-threat quarterbacks.

The college football transfer portal shuffle now has Moore back at the Oregon program he originally committed to, while Southern California natives Iamaleava and Clarkson are now teammates and find themselves more than two months away from an intriguing fall camp in Westwood.

While Iamaleava arrives as the starting quarterback with lofty expectations heading into head coach DeShaun Foster’s second season, the reported move from ESPN to land Clarkson after spring camp provides some sneaky depth and possible future insurance depending on how the year plays out.

Last week, Bruin Blitz caught up with Clarkson’s former high school head coach, Jason Negro, who said the biggest gain for UCLA is “some stability” at a position that suddenly looks significantly deeper than it did when camp opened in April.