9/21/2022 football Edit

UCLA lands commitment from 2023 Las Vegas ATH Donavyn Pellot

Matt Moreno • BruinBlitz

Recruiting Analyst

Matt began his career at Rivals in 2011 as recruiting editor and then publisher for Arizona affiliate, GOAZCATS.com. In 2022, he moved into an expanded role covering Pac-12 recruiting for Rivals.

Las Vegas-Silverado High School two-way standout Donavyn Pellot isn't the type of recruit who posts about the visits he's taking or even very much about the schools in consideration. So, it has been challenging at times to get a clear read on where he could end up. Wednesday, he ended any speculation by committing to UCLA over offers from programs such as Washington, Washington State, Arizona, BYU, Colorado, Arizona State and San Diego State among others.

Pellot took two official visits in the summer when he made it out to the campuses of Arizona and Washington State. Those two programs remained in the mix, but UCLA continued to push forward in the process ultimately landing his commitment as he made things official this week.

The 6-foot-2 prospect is a versatile two-way player at Silverado where he plays in the secondary and on offense as a do-it-all type of weapon. His future will be on defense where he could end up playing linebacker or safety at the next level.

The addition of Pellot comes at a good time for the Bruins as the team prepares to begin conference play after going 3-0 up to this point in the season. High school recruiting for the Bruins has been under some scrutiny with criticisms about the lack of commits in the class coming from all angles as of late.

A recent tweet touting UCLA as "Transfer U" was called a mistake by head coach Chip Kelly since the Bruins do continue to look at options at the high school level to build the roster for the coming years.

He is, however, the first commitment for the Bruins in nearly two months following the pledge of fellow Nevada-based prospect AJ Fuimaono, who plays at Liberty High School in Henderson and committed to UCLA in late July.

Pellot had become one of the remaining priority targets for UCLA in the class, and it's hard to overlook his potential because of the versatility he possesses. He fits what the defensive staff is looking for with his ability to come up and make plays at his safety position meaning he could fit right in as a linebacker for Ken Norton Jr.

The Bruins now have seven commitments in the 2023 class including four-star linebacker Tre Edwards, four-star running back Roderick Robinson II, quarterback Luke Duncan, safety/linebacker Ty Lee, receiver Grant Gray and Fuimaono. All seven commits are either from California or Nevada.