Josh Moore Becomes Latest UCLA Football Defensive Back to Enter Transfer Portal
Josh Moore is on the move once more, marking another outgoing defensive back for the Bruins.
The UCLA football safety entered the transfer portal on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Moore was initially committed to Stanford in high school before flipping to USC, and then he changed paths one more time when he committed to the Bruins right before the early signing period that December.
Moore, who did not take a snap as a true freshman in 2021, has four years of eligibility remaining wherever he goes next.
UCLA has lost three safeties so far this offseason, with Quentin Lake entering the 2022 NFL Draft, his potential replacement DJ Warnell submitting his name into the transfer portal in December and now Moore following in his footsteps. Cornerbacks Jay Shaw and Shamar Martin have entered the transfer portal as well.
While Moore was not in line to be a starter in 2022, his departure is another ding on the position's depth moving forward. Fifth-year seniors Stephan Blaylock and Kenny Churchwell are projected to be starters with fellow redshirt senior Elisha Guidry set to back them up. Walk-on Alex Johnson could be in the rotation as well, with freshmen Kamari Ramsey and Clint Stephens joining the fray as well.
Come 2023, Ramsey and Stephens will be the only scholarship safeties on the roster, not including the nickel-striker position.
Moore was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, while Rivals and ESPN had him pegged as a three-star. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Marist School (GA) product was a top-40 safety in the country and a top-40 player in his state.
The Bruins have now had 16 players enter the portal since the end of the regular season, with 11 of them initially coming from out of state. Moore and edge rusher Myles Jackson are from Georgia, offensive lineman Beau Taylor and defensive lineman Tia Savea are from Nevada, Warnell is from Texas, defensive lineman AJ Campbell is from Ohio, punter Luke Akers is from Tennessee, quarterback Parker McQuarrie is from New Hampshire, defensive lineman Tyler Kiehne is from New Mexico, receiver Keontez Lewis is from Illinois and receiver Chase Cota is from Oregon.
The technical rules in terms of scholarships and transfers are complicated enough in a normal year, but with super seniors still a thing and COVID-19 eligibility extensions being granted across the country, it gets even more messy. Essentially, schools are allowed to add up to 25 new scholarship players each cycle, but that number goes up for every outgoing transfer.
That figure maxes out at 32, however, and with 16 players in the transfer portal, the Bruins are far past the point where they cannot replace additional departures should any more players declare their intentions to leave the program. Between the seven incoming transfers and 11 signed recruits, UCLA has room to add as many as 14 more transfers.
Catch up on all the transfer market news related to UCLA at All Bruins' transfer portal tracker.
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