UCLA lands its first 2017 commitment

When Rahyme Johnson first landed his UCLA offer after the Bruins' elite camps last month, he said UCLA would be tough to beat.

On Friday, he let the recruiting world know he wasn't kidding.

The 6-foot-4, 196-pound linebacker announced on Twitter that, despite being more than a year and a half away from Signing Day 2017, he was ending his recruiting process.

"After praying on it and discussion with my family & coaches, I would like to announce my official Commitment to the University of California, Los Angeles," Johnson wrote. "#GoBruins, #BruinRevolution, #8Clap."

For the past month, since the offer, the Los Angeles (Calif.) Salesian linebacker insisted UCLA was his top school. He said the proximity to home, Scott White and the defensive scheme were all big reasons for his early lean. Yet even he admitted he was surprised he found himself making a commitment Friday morning, a month before his junior year even begins.

"I didn't plan on it at all, it was a surprise to me," Johnson said. "I didn't plan on this happening."

It was a phone call with White, however, that changed everything.

Johnson said he called the Bruins' linebacker coach, just looking to hear the UCLA pitch one more time. Instead, the call turned into a talk of a commitment, and when Johnson got off the phone and spoke with his inner circle about making the pledge, he figured, "Why not today?"

"After I talked to everybody, I prayed on it and made sure I was making the right decision," Johnson said. "And then I called coach Scott back and talked to him and I told him that I was committing and this is what I want to be. This is where I want to be and this is what I want to do."

Johnson has been a big Bruin fan for as long as he can remember. He appreciated what Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Myles Jack have done in UCLA's defense recently. Plus, his mom always wanted him to go to UCLA. So Friday, after thinking about it, the decision became somewhat of a no-brainer for the big linebacker.

"First of all, UCLA is close to home and it's by my mom, so that's a bonus," Johnson said. "Coach Scott is a great coach so I would love to play with him. I see what he does having Myles Jack, Anthony Barr - they have a great group of linebackers that have come out. So I feel like that's the best place for me right now where I can get in and get out, hoping to get to the league. So I think that's most likely where I want to be and that's what I can do."

Still, despite all of that, there will be a wonder of if this commitment will stick. The Bruins have had two decommitments in the past two months from Jordan Parker and Michael Pittman, and they committed to UCLA far closer to their signing day than Johnson.

Yet Johnson says his pledge is a firm one, no matter how much time is left between now and February 2017.

"It's always great to hear from other schools and different coaching staffs that want me, but I'm pretty sure I'm done," Johnson said. "I'm 100 percent on UCLA."