UCLA gets verbal commitment from Arizona offensive lineman

UCLA football added a piece to its recruiting class for the second day in a row. The Bruins gained a verbal commitment from Arizona offensive lineman Bruno Fina on Thursday afternoon after picking up defensive back John Humphrey’s commitment on Wednesday.

Humphrey is from Pasadena. The Bruins then secured Fina from Tucson Salpointe Catholic High, a school that is walking distance from Arizona — where his father John starred and became a first-round pick before an 11-year NFL career.

Bruno chose the Bruins over finalists Boston College and Yale, announcing his decision on Twitter.

“This is a day I have been anticipating for months on end,” Fina wrote on the social media platform. “It has taken countless hours and unrelenting dedication to reach this moment and it will take endless more as I continue on this path. As I progress I hope to grow as a leader, as a teammate, and as a young man.

“Thank you to all the coaches and colleges who have spent time recruiting me, it has been an honor,” he added. “That being said, for the next five years I will be attending…THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound lineman is a key commitment for the Bruins even though he is unlikely to see the field his first year on campus. Fina will have to add weight to his frame to be able to play on a collegiate offensive line. Getting an offensive lineman commitment was still important as UCLA has struck out on many of their targets. There are 19 rising senior offensive line prospects in the 247Sports database having received an offer from UCLA. Bruno is the 14th to make a commitment and becomes the first to choose the Bruins.

Fina is ranked the top offensive guard and the No. 5 offensive lineman in the state of Arizona, per the 247Sports composite rankings. He is the No. 64 offensive guard in the nation. Overall, he is ranked just inside the top 1000 nationally as a three-star prospect and is the No. 24 overall prospect from the Grand Canyon State.

Fina will play an important role this fall as Salpointe Catholic will try to avenge back-to-back state championship losses to Scottsdale Saguaro. The offensive line will need to open up holes for Bijan Robinson, one of the top running backs in the nation who has led the Lancers offense the last two seasons and also holds a scholarship offer from UCLA.

UCLA commitments in the 2020 class:

QB Parker McQuarrie - Concord St. Paul’s School (N.H.)

RB Nathanial Jones - Bellflower St. John Bosco

CB John Humphrey - Pasadena John Muir

WR Matt Sykes - Honolulu St. Louis School (Hawaii)

OL Bruno Fina - Tucson Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.)

LB Myles Jackson - Hoschton Mill Creek (Ga.)

DE Jay Max Jacobsen - Temecula Valley

S Jake Newman - Bellflower St. John Bosco

LB Jeremiah Trojan - Chandler Hamilton (Ariz.)

K - Luke Akers - Brentwood Ravenwood (Tenn.)