​HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Over plates of chicken and waffles, UCLA safeties coach Anthony DiMichele began getting to know Khalil Terry, the four-star standout from Tustin, California. Though Terry had originally committed to Notre Dame, he was wavering, and UCLA’s new coaching staff had positioned itself as a major force in his recruitment, making Terry a top priority for the Bruins.
At Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles, DiMichele laid it out plainly. “The first time me and D-Mic had a conversation was at Roscoe’s,” Terry recalled Saturday at The Battle At The Beach tournament. “He said he’d stay there all night to get me. Honestly, that stuck with me. More and more we started talking, and he just showed so much love. They just showed so much love it was like, why not show love back to UCLA?”
So that’s what Terry did. With coaching changes in South Bend and Terry warming to the new UCLA staff, he began thinking more seriously about the Bruins. He started taking trips to Westwood to become more comfortable, and he loved every moment he spent around the new coaches and players.
“That meeting (with DiMichele) was amazing,” Terry said. “I was really starting to think about it, and I went to see a practice and I felt how different it was; you could just tell things were definitely changing.”
First-year coach Bob Chesney quickly set a high standard in Westwood, even if Terry and others weren’t entirely familiar with Chesney’s track record at James Madison and beyond. “Just his winning culture,” Terry explained. “I know what he’s bringing to UCLA, and UCLA is just a great place. I had no clue about James Madison football at first. I did know they got in the College Football Playoff over Notre Dame, and that made me pause—whoa, when they got in because I was committed to the Irish.”
There has been chatter recently from Terry’s Tustin teammate—and Oklahoma commit—Taven Epps, who has hinted he won’t stop trying to flip Terry to the Sooners. Yet the flip seems unlikely. Terry’s allegiance to UCLA runs deep, and his enthusiasm for the Bruins is off the charts.
“Just all the energy and the juice they bring, and I could tell they love football,” Terry said. “It just attracted me, and I could tell they’re building something special. I’m really chill. I’m locked in.”
This is a story of a recruit drawn to UCLA’s culture, energy, and vision under a staff that prioritized him from the start, turning a Notre Dame commitment into a Bruins pledge by showcasing genuine leadership, a winning mindset, and a relentless drive to build something special in Westwood.