UCLA Football 2025 Depth Chart Roundup: Defensive Tackle, Part 2

As the UCLA football season approaches, let's take a look at their depth chart.

Oct 12, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Siale Taupaki (92) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

As UCLA's first practices loom ahead of the 2025 season, DeShaun Foster has cultivated a roster through recruiting and the transfer portal, ready to improve on last season.

Finishing their first season in the Big Ten with a 5-7 record, it's only up from here for the Bruins. With that being said, let's dive into UCLA's projected depth chart this upcoming season and how analysts view they'll impact UCLA. Up next, we move on to the other side of the ball and finish up the defensive line.

Siale Taupaki, Graduate Senior

Taupaki wasn't initially expected to return to UCLA after using what many thought was all of his years of eligibility, but he's returning to Westwood for his final year and will head the Bruins' defensive line.

Over the course of his 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, Taupaki was on UCLA's offensive line, if he ever played at all. Last season, though, he moved back to the defensive line and played in all 12 games, starting in seven, and finished with 23 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks. He headlines UCLA's trenches following the departure of Jay Toia.

Gary Smith III, Redshirt Senior

Smith is returning to the Bruins this season in hopes of showing promise after missing all of last season with an injury. The former Duke Blue Devil transferred to UCLA in 2022 and appeared in 10 games in 2023, finishing with 21 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Smith is expected to be a big contributor on the line behind Taupaki and Keanu Williams, who is also returning from injury.

Tyler Partlow, Freshman

Partlow is one of two freshman defensive linemen coming into Westwood this season. As a three-star out of the class of 2025, Partlow committed to UCLA in June of 2024 out of Middle Village (New York) St. Thomas More.

According to David Woods of Bruin Report Online, Partlow appeared to be injured in spring practices along with Williams, who is coming off a season-ending injury of his own last season. Partlow, along with freshman defensive lineman counterpart Robert James III, is not expected to play this season and will likely redshirt.

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