Lone 2023 pledge Maliki Crawford steps away from UCLA Football

The Bruins’ first commit of the 2023 cycle has left its word behind.

Cornerback Maliki Crawford disbanded from UCLA football Sunday night, he announced on Twitter. Crawford initially committed to the Bruins on July 30, and he remained the team’s lone class of 2023 before relapsing six months later.

Crawford had more than a dozen FBS offers when he signed on over the summer, and he said UCLA will remain one of his top options if he reopens his recruitment.

When he first committed, Crawford raved about everything UCLA brought up in a discussion with 247Sports’ Greg Biggins.

“I’m really excited to be a Bruin,” Crawford told 247Sports. “I loved the overall fit and it just felt like the best place for me. I’ve always liked UCLA and had some really good visits earlier in the week and last month too. … I was the first defensive player that they offered in my class and that meant a lot to me. Besides, I love the location and it’s a chance for my family to see me play anytime, my family has been with me and they loved it too and it’s also a great academic match so it just felt like the best all round move for me.”

Crawford made several visits to Westwood in June and July, the first culminating in a scholarship offer and the second leading to his commitment. But since then, Washington has been the first to dive into Crawford’s recruiting.

Two weeks after the Huskies brought in Fresno State’s Kalen DeBoer as their next head coach, they received a visit from Crawford and made him an offer. Fresno State never made an offer to Crawford, and both of DeBoer’s co-defense coordinators in Washington followed him there from Fresno, so it was a zero-to-60 situation between the SoCal defender and the staff of the Huskies.

Florida State, Florida International Michigan, Michigan State, Miami (FL), Minnesota, San Diego State and UNLV are among the schools recruiting Crawford, in addition to the nine Pac-12 programs that have made him an offer.

Coming in at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, Crawford is a four-star prospect according to both 247Sports and ESPN. At the time of his deployment, the tall cornerback was the highest-rated defensive back commit since coach Chip Kelly arrived at UCLA.

Kelly signed a four-year extension to stay at Westwood until 2025, but there have been changes in the defensive staff since Crawford made his first pledge. Defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro resigned, while defensive line coach Johnny Nansen and outside linebackers coach Jason Kaufusi left to join the Arizona staff. However, defensive backs coach and assistant head coach Brian Norwood, who led Crawford’s recruiting, will remain on duty.

A consensus top-30 player in the state of California, Crawford registered 63 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, one interception, one fumble and seven pass breakups in 10 games for Pacifica High School (CA) in 2021. Crawford also achieved won 99 receiving yards on seven receptions and collected 62 yards on five kickoff returns.

The Bruins’ defensive backfield relied heavily on veterans last season, and with the departures of Obi Eboh, Cameron Johnson and Jay Shaw, they should definitely make some turnover in 2022. Adding Wyoming super senior transfer Azizi Hearn will help a year, but with him and Mo Osling III ineligible after next season, 2023 marks a major turning point at blue and gold cornerback.

Devin Kirkwood will be a junior at the time and Inglewood (CA) product Clint Stephens will be entering his sophomore year, but it remains to be seen whether he will line up as a college-level corner or safety.

Without a single commit in the 2023 class, there are many positions that can be expected to be as thin as they look that far ahead.

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