Significant Transfer Portal Departure Hits Bruins

The UCLA Bruins have been snake-bitten by the transfer portal for the first time this offseason, as Skyy Clark has opted to enter the portal as he seeks a fifth year of eligibility.

Clark has spent the last two seasons with the Bruins after transferring from Louisville and spending a season with Illinois beforehand. This past season, he averaged 11.5 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three-point range.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) reaches for a rebound against the UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

As one of UCLA’s better players on both ends of the floor, Clark missed significant time during Big Ten play thanks to a leg injury. In his absence, Trent Perry stepped up tremendously in his role and remained in the starting lineup even when Clark worked his way back.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (1) celebrates scoring with teammates Eric Dailey Jr. (3) and Skyy Clark (55) during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Clark Seeking Extra Year

Clark has already exhausted all of his collegiate eligibility and is currently seeking a fifth season, arguing that, because he appeared in only 11 games with Illinois as a freshman before stepping away from the team, he should be granted another season to play.

Clark is now the first UCLA player to announce his departure rather than his return. So far, Perry, Eric Dailey Jr, Eric Freeny, Brandon Williams, and Xavier Booker have all announced that they’ll be returning to the Bruins for the 2026-27 season. Clark isn’t following in his teammates’ footsteps — unless he decides to withdraw his name from the portal.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCF Knights forward Jamichael Stillwell (4) grabs a rebound against UCLA Bruins guard Eric Freeny (8) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Bruins Suffering Several Key Losses

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

However, his potential departure is a setback for the time being for numerous reasons. Notably, his departure coincides with that of Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau, both of whom are out of eligibility. Dent averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 assists per game as the team’s floor general, and Bilodeau was UCLA’s leading scorer at 17.6 points per game.

With both of them out of the picture, and Clark potentially joining them, UCLA is losing over 40 points per game of production from last season to the transfer portal

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA;UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) shoots the ball against the UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Bruins will now shift their focus to finding Clark’s replacement as transfer portal season ramps up. The team already had its hands full in terms of needing to replace production, but now they’ll need to dig even further with another double-digit scorer leaving Westwood.

Head coach Mick Cronin and his staff will try to load up on high-impact talent as they look to improve from this season’s second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.