Standout Big 12 Transfer Safety Plans to Visit UCLA

UCLA football is on a tear when it comes to transfer portal commits. Over the last four days, the Bruins have added 16 players to Bob Chesney's roster, several of whom came from his former team, James Madison.

The burst of additions has put UCLA at No. 17 in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings. There is no sign of slowing down, with more commits on the way and plenty of visits this weekend and beyond.

One player who is working to get a visit to Pasadena is one of the top transfer defensive backs from the Big 12 Conference. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Utah safety Tao Johnson is looking at visiting UCLA and Oregon in the coming days.

Utah Safety Tao Johnson Attracting Plenty of Buzz

Tao Johnson is one of the top safeties in the transfer portal, ranked No. 16 by 247Sports. The 6-foot-1. 200-pound back commited to the Utes back in 2022. He will have one year of eligibility remaining, and with his experience, he is being chased by several top programs.

In addition to potential visits to UCLA and Oregon, he has already visited Ole Miss and Kentucky. With two of those teams, College Football Playoff semi-finalists, you can see what adding a player of Johnson's calibre would do for Bob Chesney.

The former four-star recruit, and No. 2 player out of Idaho in 2022, has been excellent over the past three seasons, growing as a player. The 2025 season showed that, finishing with 51 tackles (27 solo), two interceptions, and four pass deflections. In the previous two seasons, he had 103 total tackles, one interception, and nine pass deflections. He even returned a blocked field goal for 77 yards in 2024, resulting in a touchdown.

New UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The defensive back positions are a focus for Chesney and his staff. Out of the incoming 17 transfers so far, they have two cornerbacks and one safety committed. One of those was a recent Iowa State commit, Ta'Shawn James. With nearly the full list of starters in the secondary from the 2025 season not coming back next season.

If the Bruins can land Johnson, it would be a significant pickup for the secondary. They are also chasing other players, and with around a week left for players to enter the portal, there is still plenty of time for Chesney.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI to keep up with every story surrounding UCLA athletics! Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Bruins when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW