Braden Miller Becomes the Fifth Cal O-Lineman to Enter the Portal

Ryan McCulloch becomes the first ex-Cal player to find a new home this offseason. The junior edge rusher announced Sunday he will transfer to UCLA.

Meanwhile, Braden Miller is the fifth Cal offensive lineman to enter the portal, boosting the Bears’ total number of departing players to 23.

McCulloch, a 6-foot-3, 255-pounder, made a quick decision after entering the portal on Friday.

He had 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, fumble recovery and four quarterback hurries over four games this past season suffering a season-ending injury against San Diego State.

A native of Arcadia, Calif., McCulloch played in 26 games over three seasons for the Bears, totaling 38 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

He joins a UCLA program that will be led by coach Bob Chesney, hired in December from James Madison after the dismissal of DeShaun Foster. The Bruins were 3-9 last fall, 0-3 at the time Foster was fired in September.

Chesney led JMU into the College Football Playoff, where it lost 51-34 to Oregon in the first round. The Dukes were 21-6 in two seasons under Chesney after going 19-5 in their first two seasons at the FBS level with current Indiana coach Curt Cignetti at the helm.

Miller, a 6-6, 315-pound redshirt junior from Aurora, Colo., transferred to Cal before the 2024 season and played 17 games for the Bears in two seasons. He was the starting right tackle much of this year.

He joins Nick Morrow, Leon Bell, LeJuan Owens and Daveion Harley as Golden Bears’ O-lineman planning to play elsewhere next season.

Miller’s older brother, Barrett Miller, spent his final college season as a starting tackle for the Bears in 2023 after transferring from Stanford.

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