UCLA reached gold on the recruiting path on Monday night when five-star recruit Peyton Watson, the 17th-ranked recruit in the 247Sports Composite ranking in the Class of 2021, pledged his allegiance to the Bruins over Arizona, Washington, Michigan, Oregon and a handful of other would-be suitors.
Watson, a small 6-foot-7-inch, 180-pound forward from Long Beach (California) Poly, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of California and the sixth-best player in his position nationwide in the 247Sports Composite ranking.
“He checked all the boxes,” Watson said during his Fox Sports engagement announcement with Titus and Tate. “It is not just a basketball decision, it is a decision of life. Eventually, that ball will stop bouncing, so I feel like my education at UCLA, my ability to return if I leave early and get that title and prepare for the life is a big problem. “
Their commitment is another milestone for Mick Cronin and his staff, who continue to build something special and sustainable in Westwood. And his quest to do so with a flock of extremely talented recruits makes the UCLA revival seem increasingly likely.
“I love the coaching staff,” said Watson. “Coach Cronin, Coach Palmer, the entire staff has been extremely generous and hospitable to my family, always giving us the truth and nothing more than that.”
Watson joins Top-50 recruit Will McClendon, an escort, in the UCLA recruiting class, now in the top 10, by 2021. The duo will join former Kentucky guard Johnny Juzang and four-star guard Jaylen. Clark on a team that should have legitimate Pac. 12 title aspirations each year for the foreseeable future.
For UCLA, Watson effectively gives UCLA another chance to demonstrate to front-line recruits that Cronin can deliver talent to the NBA. The Bruins had a game changer of their kind to enroll this fall in five-star guard Daishen Nix, but Nix pulled out of his promise in the last hour to join the G League program earlier this spring.
Winning should help those efforts, too, and it’s something Cronin did consistently in Cincinnati and in his first season at UCLA. After a brutal start to the season, the Bruins finished second in the Pac-12 career and won 11 of their last 14 games to end the season.
