UCLA announced the hire of Darren Uscher as the football team’s executive director of recruiting, the program announced Tuesday.

Uscher previously served in recruiting and player personnel roles at Auburn, Boise State, Georgetown and Oregon.

He most recently spent the 2023 season as the Ducks’ player personnel and scouting consultant.

“Darren brings valuable experience and perspective to our program that will enhance the foundation and values already in place," Bruins head coach Chip Kelly said in a statement.

The role is a newly created position for UCLA on a staff that includes director of player personnel Ethan Young and recruiting analyst Josh Irvin in prominent roles on the recruiting side.

Uscher will be tasked with helping a Bruins program that has finished 66th (2024), 55th (2023), 64th (2022), 33rd (2021), 37th (2020), 44th (2019) and 19th (2018) nationally in the Rivals team recruiting rankings since Kelly took over.

Among the reasons for the drop-off in the last three cycles has been the prominence of name, image and likeness (NIL) in recruiting.

“Every single kid asks about NIL opportunities,” Kelly said in early November when asked about how big of a factor NIL plays in recruiting. “So, every kid out there, ‘cause that’s available to every kid out there. I think almost every kid you’re recruiting asks that. That’s just the nature of what recruiting has turned into when they changed the rules, so. That’s a huge part of it.”

Uscher’s hire comes as the Bruins prepare to move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Over the previous three years, Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan in the revamped Big Ten have been ranked in the Rivals top 10 team rankings at least once, with the Buckeyes doing so in all three recruiting cycles.

In the 2024 rankings, Ohio State (5th) and Oregon (6th) are the two Big Ten representatives.

In the conference, 12 of the 18 schools have 20 or more commitments in the 2024 class. UCLA has 11, the fewest in the league.