UCLA Bruins Continue To Lose Out on Key Transfers

It’s been a challenging offseason for Mick Cronin and his staff.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

In what has become a worrisome trend for the UCLA Bruins this offseason, another one of their transfer portal targets has snubbed them. This time it’s Tounde Yessoufou.

The 6-foot-5 guard from Benin was a star for Baylor as a freshman last season, averaging 17.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor, and 2.0 steals per game on the defensive end. After the season, he entered the transfer portal while also keeping his name in the NBA Draft. 

Mar 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) shoots a free throw during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Yessoufou Snubs UCLA

A hyper-energetic two-way guard, Yessoufou waited until the very last minute to decide which direction he was taking his basketball career. Ultimately, he decided to come back to college; his destination isn’t quite where UCLA fans hoped he would end up. 

Despite holding interest from UCLA, Yessoufou decided to transfer to St. John’s. He now joins a long list of UCLA targets that have ultimately snubbed the Bruins this offseason, a worrisome sign that Mick Cronin and his staff are unable to recruit at the levels necessary to be competitive. 

Mar 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) dribbles the ball up court against the Utah Utes during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

UCLA’s Portal Misses

Most notably, Yessoufou joins two other marquee transfers that ended up signing elsewhere despite being heavily involved with UCLA. Those two players are John Blackwell and Matt Able. 

Blackwell drew interest from UCLA after a very strong season with Wisconsin, during which he averaged over 19 points per game. Blackwell also kept his name in the NBA Draft until earlier this week, when he withdrew. Despite visiting UCLA earlier in the offseason, Blackwell decided to transfer to Duke. 

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the basket against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesjjJ | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

As for Able, he also kept his name in the NBA Draft before recently withdrawing. Last season as a freshman at NC State, he averaged 8.8 points per game and shot over 35 percent from three-point range. At the NBA Draft Combine, he was very impressive, averaging over 16 points and knocking down 7 of his 16 threes across two scrimmages. Like Blackwell, UCLA was heavily involved with Able, but he chose the North Carolina Tar Heels instead of coming to Westwood. 

The Bruins have signed transfers such as Filip Jovic and Sergej Macura to the team for next season, but they’ve been unable to land that big fish as they’ve done in the past. Next season will now be extremely pivotal for the Bruins as they try to navigate what is becoming a very challenging offseason for Mick Cronin and his staff.