UCLA Football Top 30 Players: No. 2

We are now at number two on the top 30 UCLA football players for the upcoming 2026-2027 college football season.

Throughout this list, we have now covered every position from quarterback to special teams. We are now at the top two, the two players who will be the Bruins' star players next season.

The UCLA defensive line was a huge problem last season, and it was something Bob Chesney needed to fix for this upcoming season. After going through the portal, Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler completely reshaped the line to fit the scheme better.

The top defensive player from James Madison a year ago entered the transfer portal, followed by Chesney and Hitschler to UCLA, and is hoping for an even better season. That player is defensive lineman Sahir West, who will be the most dominant player on the Bruins' defense next season.

Sahir West Coming Out of High School

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Most of the players on our list came out of high school as either unranked or three-star players. Coming out of Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore, Maryland, West would progress into being a good edge rusher in the 2024 high school class.

Throughout his first two seasons with the Gaels, he was a depth piece and didn't see any playing time. Throughout both his first- and second-year seasons with the Gaels, he recorded a single statistic, according to MaxPreps.

However, once his junior year came around, he completely took over as arguably the best defender on the roster. In his junior season with the Gaels, he would be the division leader in sacks with 10 on the season, along with 63 tackles and 39 solo tackles, and also be a threat in the pass defense with an interception.

West would have such an amazing breakout season that he would be selected for First Team All-Conference and a second-team Baltimore Sun selection. For his senior season, he would have another great season with the Gaels.

West would prove to be the best edge rusher in his division, ending his senior season with 71 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. With another great performance throughout the season, West would once again be selected for First Team All-Conference, as well as selected for the first team by the Baltimore Sun.

Even with his great junior and senior seasons at Mount Saint Joseph, West would still not be highly regarded amongst the high school recruiting sites. According to 247Sports, West would be an unranked linebacker prospect in the 2024 high school class.

Being unranked, West wouldn't have many high-major offers, but would receive offers from power-four programs Indiana and Maryland.

However, West would want to play right away as a player and would commit to James Madison, playing under Bob Chesney.

Shair West with James Madison

While West would commit to James Madison in the hopes of playing right away, he would only appear in two games for the 2024 college football season. In those two games for the Dukes, West wouldn’t have a statistic in those two games.

After his first year with James Madison, West would decide to redshirt to gain an extra year of eligibility. In his second year with James Madison, he would be given a much larger role on the edge, breaking out and becoming a key piece along the defensive line.

Sep 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss (7) looks to pass under the pressure of James Madison Dukes defensive end Sahir West (15) during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

West would finish the year with a very impressive 45 tackles, with 16 solo tackles to go with 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and four pass breakups. With West being as dominant as he was on the defensive end, he would be a key piece for James Madison's success last season.

James Madison would finish the year with a 12-2 record, including a Sun Belt Conference win and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. In the Sun Belt Championship, he was the best defender on the field, recording 10 total tackles, five solo tackles, a career-high 5.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble that led to a 31-14 victory.

West would have one of the best redshirt freshman seasons in Sun Belt history as he would be named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, The Athletic First Team Freshman All-American, ECAC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-Sun Belt defensive lineman, All-ECAC Team, and JMU's Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Sahir West comes to UCLA

After such an amazing year with James Madison, Bob Chesney would be one of the hottest names in the coaching carousel. Chesney would land at UCLA and become the Bruins' new head coach after a two-year disaster with Deshaun Foster.

UCLA’s pass rush was almost non-existent last season. The Bruins were dead last in sacks in the Big Ten with just 10 total sacks. The sack leader for the Bruins was a tie between linebacker Jalen Woods and defensive lineman Anthoney Woods with 1.5 sacks each.

Seeing how the defensive line needed to be rebuilt from the ground up, there was no better player to bring to Westwood than Sahir West. West would be the key player added to rebuild the defensive line, as he is young enough to build around for the next season or two.

When speaking with the Big Ten Network about West, Bob Chesney discussed the importance of bringing him from James Madison and what he brings to UCLA for the upcoming season.

“He's just a complete package right now. So he stops the run. He also is able to, you know, be a threat in the passing. His motor doesn't stop, and he's just sort of the you know the definition of what we want as far as efforts and everything else come with it on the defensive line.”

West's arrival at UCLA is a huge deal for the Bruins' defense. For the past two seasons, UCLA has not had great success rushing the passer, as the past two sack leaders haven't recorded more than 5 sacks this season.

West, coming to UCLA after a seven-sack season last year and being surrounded by much more talented players, could have an even better year and potentially have a double-digit sack season next year.

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