If we take a look at On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking of football Team Recruiting, we won’t find the UCLA Bruins in the top 10. Forget being in the top 10, the Bruins stand at No.65 with 13 total recruits, while top programs like USC Trojans have already snatched up 34 recruits. Out of this meager number, UCLA lost the commitment of linebacker Matthew Muasau. But now that the Bruins are headed by interim head coach Tim Skipper, Muasau has hit the ‘return’ button. 

On October 24, the 2026 UCLA commit confirmed the news. On X, Muasau wrote, “After speaking with General Manager Khary Darlington (@GMDarlington), the coaches and the personnel staff, I’m excited about the direction for the program – I’m fully re-committing to UCLA. This program has always been home.”

The 2026 prospect originally committed to the Bruins back in May. But soon the three-star linebacker from St. John Bosco started having doubts. Last month, he finally took the drastic step to decommit. UCLA went winless for four straight games to start the 2025 season under DeShaun Foster. The Bruins soon got rid of Foster on September 14. Things started to change from then on.

Maybe Muasau was waiting for the moment for someone to flip the narrative. That’s when Skipper took entry. And VOILA! The tables turned for the better. With Skipper at the helm, UCLA locked in consecutive victories against Penn State, MI State, and Maryland. 

After taking an exit on October 2, Muasau started exploring options, with no intention of coming back to UCLA. “First off, I want to thank the entire UCLA staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be part of the Bruin family. After a lot of thought and prayer, I’ve decided to decommit from UCLA and reopen my recruitment,” he wrote on X.

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The Bruins had almost lost hope as the very next day, Sacramento State jumped into the race to woo the recruit. And guess what? They were already late to the party. Washington, San Diego State, and UNLV, which offered in September, had also been in the picture for the UCLA commit. Meanwhile, the Bruins must have lost all hope about Muasau’s return since he was the 10th decommit. Now that he has returned, fans believe it to be the Tim Skipper effect that has cleaned the mess that Foster had left behind. 

Fans feel the momentum shift after Bruins’ coaching change

Muasau’s return has sparked the commitment domino effect. It led to multiple commitments this week, including 6-foot-6 offensive tackle Travis Robertson. A UCLA beat writer wrote, “UCLA football’s recruiting continues to remain stout, this time getting Matthew Muasau to re-commit to the Bruins. When the Bruins’ coaching change occurred, I wrote about what it takes to recruit well at UCLA. The answer? Not as much as you’d think.” Skipper walks into UCLA with experience as Fresno State’s interim head coach.

Skipper served as a linebackers coach and then assistant head coach under Jim McElwain from 2012 to 2014. As another analyst dropped, “It is spreading. The Tim Skipper Effect. UCLA football has received a re-commitment from Matthew Muasau.” The Bruins better hand Skipper the permanent role, as Colorado State may already have him on their radar.

The Skipper effect helped the Bruins to preserve the Muasau legacy. His brother, Darius, too, went to UCLA. “Bosco LB Matt Muasau reaffirms his commitment to UCLA after previously decommitting due to the Foster firing.  UCLA lands a Bruin legacy as Matt’s older brother Darius was a stud for UCLA and currently plays for the NY Giants. The Bruins momentum continues with no coach named!” wrote another beat writer. Even Jerry Neuheisel’s name is picking up buzz as the next head coach.

Going by MaxPreps stats, the UCLA commit has racked up 23 solo tackles and 31 total tackles in the 2024-25 season. So, it’s a steal as an analyst appreciated, “Muasau is having a strong senior season and on a loaded Braves defense, has been arguably their best player on that side of the ball, big for #UCLA to hold on to his commitment.” Muasau has helped his team give up less than 10 points in the first two weeks of high school football, which is huge.

Tim Skipper has provided energy, meticulousness and drive, and his motivational tactics. And the fans could not give enough credit: “The turnaround for UCLA is epic.” Since the change, the UCLA Bruins have scored 80 points in two games after averaging just 14 per game in their first four. So, the firing of DeShaun Foster might be a blessing in disguise with Skipper in the lead.