Rising senior Duece Jones-Drew will be following in his father’s footsteps, as the three-star running back announced his commitment to UCLA on Sunday.
Jones-Drew’s father is Maurice Jones-Drew, who was a unanimous All-American at UCLA in the early 2000s before going on to star in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Duece Jones-Drew will be a part of the 2027 class for the Bruins. The De La Salle High School (Concord, Calif.) product is a composite three-star in the 247 rankings and was heavily pursued by Arizona, Cal, SMU and Utah before choosing UCLA.
UCLA’s coaching staff turnover didn’t end up dissuading Jones-Drew, who committed to new head coach Bob Chesney in part thanks to the retention of running backs coach A.J. Steward, who held the same role under DeShaun Foster a season ago.
Chesney took over the Bruins following a playoff appearance as head coach of James Madison in 2025.
The elder Jones-Drew, nicknamed “MJD,” recorded three Pro Bowl seasons with the Jaguars in eight seasons before finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He led the league in rushing with 1,606 yards in 2011, the same year he was named first-team All-Pro.
