Four-star defensive back Jaleel Wadood commits to UCLA

UCLA’s push up the recruiting rankings is picking up steam. The Bruins landed four-star defensive back Jaleel Wadood Tuesday morning, shoring up a secondary that just a season ago looked to be in dire straits.

Wadood is the seventh defensive back to join the 2014 class, picking the Bruins over USC after originally picking Cal this past summer. UCLA already added four players to its secondary in 2013, so a de-commitment or two wouldn’t be too surprising. Scout.com rates Wadood, Adarius Pickett and John Plattenburg as the four-star additions to the team’s defensive backfield.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior stars as both a wide receiver and free safety for Bosco, helping the team to its first CIF-SS title ever. The team enters the CIF Open Division playoffs on Saturday against Corona Centennial.

St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro called Wadood “the most dominant two-way player I’ve ever worked with.”

See the Long Beach Press-Telegram profile of Jaleel Wadood from November.