It was late October when UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster said he expected wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. to be “on the verge” of a return from an undisclosed injury.

Now, though, after playing just four games in his first season since transferring from Notre Dame, things have drastically changed and the Bruins will be without him for more than just this weekend’s regular-season finale against Fresno State.

Prior to Monday evening’s practice, Foster announced that Flores recently had season-ending surgery and will be out until “that first week of probably September, maybe October” in 2025.

That would mean Flores will miss all of next spring and fall camp, typically held in April and August, respectively.

Flores, a sophomore, still has a redshirt to use, but Foster said the program will seek a medical redshirt to retain the year of eligibility.

“It’s very unfortunate for Rico,” Foster said. “He was trending in the right direction, was able to get out there [in practice] and had to take a step back.”

Flores made 12 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown, giving the Bruins another deep threat to pair with J.Michael Sturdivant. His longest catch of the season was for 53 yards.

The North Highlands, Calif., native returned to the state after making 27 catches for 392 yards and a touchdown as a freshman last season at Notre Dame.

For the Bruins, Flores made no fewer than two catches in each of his four games played — including a season-high four in the road loss at Louisiana State.

Flores made a strong first impression in his UCLA debut, making three catches for 102 yards and his lone touchdown in the season-opening road win at Hawaii.

Flores’ final appearance of the season was the Sept. 28 home loss to Oregon.