UCLA Transfer kicker RJ Lopez commits to Purdue

A former UCLA Bruins special teams standout has exited the NCAA transfer portal. On Tuesday, kicker RJ Lopez revealed where he will play in 2024, announcing that he will remain in the Bruins’ new conference home, the Big Ten, and play for the Purdue Boilermakers.

Lopez made the announcement from his social media account with this image attached.

New chapter. Same goal. #BoilerUp @CoachPetrilli @BoilerFootball pic.twitter.com/tJX281tlQw

— RJ Lopez (@rjlopez40) February 20, 2024

Lopez joins the program under walk-on status, which means he’ll likely be attempting to earn a spot on the roster and a scholarship during Purdue’s 2024 spring practices.

Although he spent four seasons at UCLA, the former Bruins kicker was not on the field often, if at all. Last season is the only year Lopez recorded a field goal attempt for UCLA. In 2023, the senior from Huntington Beach, CA, connected on 6-11 field goal attempts for a 54.5 completion percentage. However, when it came to extra points, Lopez was nearly automatic, connecting on all but one of his 32 PAT attempts.

Foster explains recruiting pitch for UCLA

Many in the UCLA community got their wish regarding the newest head coach of the football program and former running back DeShaun Foster. Although Foster is not a native of Los Angeles, CA, he did play in the area at the high school level before joining the Bruins program.

With that being said, the UCLA head coach might have an inside track when it comes to recruiting local talent. But when it comes to recruiting, how a coach pitches their program is essential. And during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Foster revealed how he plans on pitching Bruins football to possible recruits.

“For recruits, most of the running back recruits out of the nation know how I am,” said Foster. “But just for people outside of that, this is a family atmosphere, you know. You’re gonna get developed to be a professional. Josh Kelly’s here, right there. That’s somebody that I developed. He’s a great back; I was able to develop him [and] he’s in the NFL. So, that’s our thing. I tell my players, Meek Mill [said] they’re chasing dreams; we’re catching them. We’re dream catchers. That’s what we’re doing.”

While playing big in the UCLA footprint will be a huge part of Foster’s recruiting plan, it is not the only plan. The Bruins are a national brand despite not necessarily living up to those expectations in recent memory. And Foster wants to remind the nation of that and plans on recruiting the best, regardless of their location.