In late July 2021, Maliki Crawford committed to UCLA. In January of this year, Crawford reopened his recruitment and left the Bruins’ class. But UCLA kept him on the board and stayed in the picture.

On Friday, he announced his finalists. UCLA made the cut alongside USC and Cal. The 4-star Oxnard (Calif.) Pacifica corner told 247Sports’ Greg Biggins he could announce his commitment later this summer or delay his decision into the fall.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound corner rates as a 4-star prospect in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He ranks as the 377th overall prospect and the 37th-best corner in the 2023 class. He’s the 27th-ranked prospect in the state of California.

247’s national recruiting expert Greg Biggins had this to say on Crawford’s game:

“… Crawford can obviously work on his top-end speed but we like his short-area burst and you can see his athleticism on the offensive side of the ball. He’s got some twitch to him and plays with suddenness. He plays a physical game as well and has a nice edge to him. His Pacifica program is known for their toughness and being the kind of team that is uncomfortable to play against. As Crawford continues to fill out and improve athletically, his game will rise to another level and there’s no reason why he won’t be on the short list when talking about the top (defensive) backs in the ’23 West Coast class.”

Crawford runs track for his high school as well, posting 100-meter times in the 11.4 range as a junior. He has a verified 4.15-second shuttle time and a 33.1-inch vertical. As a junior last season, he had 63 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception in 10 games.

He took an official to Westwood on May 20. He visited Cal  on June 10 and then USC on June 16.

You can view Crawford’s high school tape below, via Hudl: