Jorge Salcedo, 47, entered his plea on Monday.
On multiple occasions, the ex-coach "recruited" students without the skill level to play on his team in exchange for payment from the students' parents. He even went so far as to create fake backstories for the students. In one case, when officials from the university questioned the credentials of a fraudulent recruit, he came up with a fake explanation that he had heard about her through a club team coach.
For the schemes, Salcedo received $200,000 in bribes.
Salcedo is a big name in U.S. collegiate soccer. He had been with UCLA for many years and led the team to several conference titles. He has also signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation six times.
For his plea, the government will recommend a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines: one year of supervised release, a fine, forfeiture in the amount of $200,000, and restitution. Racketeering conspiracy convictions can sometimes carry a fine of up to 20 years in prison.