UCLA Football: Bruins Lose Another Defensive Player to Transfer Portal
UCLA football has officially lost another player to the transfer portal. Defensive lineman Jay Toia announced he is entering the portal on Thursday.
"As I prepare to graduate from UCLA… After speaking with my parents and family I have decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal as of last night," Toia said on X.
Toia has spent the last three seasons with UCLA. In 2023, he recorded 28 total tackles, one sack and one pass defense. Overall in his UCLA career, Toia had 66 total tackles, three pass defenses, two sacks and one forced fumble.
Before Toia announced his departure, the Bruins had not seen any players enter the transfer portal since the window officially opened on Monday. Now, Toia has decided to play elsewhere for next season.
Since the hiring of new head coach DeShaun Foster, the Bruins have seen way fewer players exit through the transfer portal. When the window was open last winter before Foster was hired and Chip Kelly was still the head coach, the Bruins saw many players leave, including several top defenders. This included cornerback John Humphrey, safety Kamari Ramsey and safety William Nimmo Jr.
On top of these losses, the Bruins lost several defenders to the NFL draft, like defensive end Laiatu Latu, linebacker Darius Muasau, Gabriel and Grayson Murphy. They also lost former defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, who left for USC.
The latest loss of Toia simply adds another defensive loss UCLA will have to address. After having a top-10 ranked defense in 2023, the Bruins have a lot of holes to fill to replicate that performance soon.
