In a move that is sure to reignite interest from some of the West Coast's top programs, Weston Port—a Latter-day Saint linebacker currently serving a church mission in Spain—has announced he will be re-opening his recruitment. The former UCLA signee, who held offers from both BYU and Utah before his mission, shared the news on social media Thursday, stating he will seek a new college home once he returns in approximately six and a half months.
Port, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker from San Juan Capistrano, California, originally signed with UCLA as part of the 2025 recruiting class. During his high school days at San Juan Hills High, he was a highly sought-after prospect, earning a three-star rating from 247 Sports (where he was ranked the No. 69 linebacker nationally) and a four-star rating from Rivals. He held over two dozen scholarship offers from Power Four conference schools before ultimately committing to the Bruins.
Now, with UCLA undergoing a head coaching change—Bob Chesney taking over after DeShaun Foster's dismissal and Tim Skipper's interim stint—Port is looking for a fresh start. Both BYU and Utah, who originally offered him scholarships, are likely to be back in the mix. Interestingly, Utah is also under new leadership, with Morgan Scalley stepping in as head coach, though Scalley was the defensive coordinator when the Utes first recruited Port.
Port has strong ties to BYU, as he shared with 247 Sports during his junior year in fall 2023. "BYU is the church school for me," he said. "I have two sisters who go there and like it a lot. They recently changed their defensive staff, so I’m trying to reconnect with those guys and build a relationship. But it’s a very special place, for sure. I’ve been a few times before and have a really strong comfort level there. My dad went there, too, so I have a lot of strong ties to the school and football program."
With both BYU and Utah also experiencing coaching shifts since Port's initial recruitment, this is shaping up to be a fascinating recruitment battle. For fans of the Cougars and Utes, this is a name to watch closely as Port's return date approaches. Whether he ends up in Provo, Salt Lake City, or elsewhere, his athleticism and pedigree make him a linebacker to keep an eye on.