A total of seven high school prospects ranked inside the top 100 for the 2023 draft made it to campus. The top two position players in that group—Arizona shortstop Roch Cholowsky and SoCal outfielder Grant Gray—will be UCLA freshmen in 2024. Add in SoCal righthander Justin Lee, who ranked among the second 100 draft prospects, and the Bruins have the No. 1 incoming class in our college recruiting rankings.
UCLA previously ranked first in this exercise heading into 2022, giving it the top freshman class in two of the past three seasons as the Bruins look to return to Omaha for the first time since 2013.
TOP 10 COLLEGE RECRUITING CLASSES
#1 UCLA
RECRUITING COORDINATOR: Bryant Ward
TOP RECRUIT: Roch Cholowsky, SS (No. 42)
OVERVIEW: On Signing Day, UCLA’s class ranked third overall. But after the draft, the Bruins rose to the top of the rankings and now have their second top-ranked class in three years. While UCLA lost a few players to the draft, it also ended up with Roch Cholowsky, the top-ranked position player to make it to campus and was the only team to land multiple top 100 draft prospects. It all makes for an impressive array of talent arriving in Westwood.
HITTERS: Cholowsky is a two-sport standout and had scholarship offers to play quarterback. His star is brightest on the diamond, and he offers an impressive all-around skill set. The righthanded hitter has excellent feel for the barrel and makes a lot of contact with solid power potential.
His athleticism plays well defensively, where his actions, hands and arm all profile at shortstop. Shortstop formally opted out of the draft but was a top 100 prospect before that decision. He stands out for his disciplined approach at the plate and feel for the barrel. The righthanded hitter has some projectable power and is a solid defender with plus arm strength. Outfielder (70) was largely off the radar before the spring because he was a high-level wide receiver recruit committed to play both sports at UCLA. That changed after his athleticism helped him take off on the diamond. He has plus speed and isn’t as raw as many two-sport athletes. Playing two sports isn’t easy, but the upside is easy to see. (253) has plus speed and athleticism and could play anywhere on the diamond. He came on strong over the last year and could be a sparkplug in a college lineup. Outfielder (335) has plus speed and an offensive skill set that fits at the top of the lineup. The lefthanded batter controls the zone well and makes a lot of contact. Infielder (280) has a physical build at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and a strong righthanded swing. He projects for solid power and is a good defender on the left side of the infield. His size may eventually push him to third base, but his hands and arm strength play up the middle. Catcher has advanced catchand-throw skills that would help him quickly take over behind the plate at UCLA. He has a strong arm and is athletic behind the plate. While his had an impressive summer in the West Coast League and brings an advanced feel at the plate.
