UCLA Is Next To Offer Carthage Star Keaontay Ingram

Carthage running back Keaontay Ingram is once again in the East Texas scholarship lead among football players in both sheer offers and number of opportunities from the FBS level.

UCLA reached out to the junior Thursday evening, Ingram reported through his Twitter account. The Bruins are the 13th NCAA Division I program to target him, the 12th from the FBS and the first from the Pac-12.

Ingram (6-0, 198) finished his 2016 season as the Offensive MVP of the Class 4A Division I state championship game and surpassed 2,200 yards on the year in the successful finale. He ran for 31 scores and also caught 46 passes for more than 400 yards.

Coached by Jim Mora, who had NFL head coaching experience before moving to Los Angeles five years ago, UCLA is coming off a 4-8 season. Two of its wins came within Pac-12 play, versus Arizona and Oregon State.

The Bruins have quite a few selling points in lieu of a disappointing record. Campus is situated in the upscale Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and the team plays all of its home games at the historic Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena, Calif.

UCLA has produced 39 consensus All-Americans in its 97-year history of competitive football and was the home of 1967 Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban.

Mora and company will face stiff competition for Ingram's services. The back has offers from eight of the 10 schools within the Big 12 Conference and outlying invitations from Arkansas, Missouri, Notre Dame and Stephen F. Austin.

Ingram, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any school that offers him in February of 2018.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-0, 200 — committed to SMU; additional offer from Mississippi State (2)
• Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Bowling Green, Iowa State (2)
• Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-0, 215 — offer from Mississippi State (1)
• Chasen Hines, Marshall, C, 6-3, 340 — offers from Baylor, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (11)
• Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, UCLA (12)
• DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, ATH, 6-4, 196 —offers from Arkansas, Kansas, SMU, Southern Miss, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, UTSA (8)