UCLA Football Linebacker Christian Burkhalter Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Burkhalter's departure makes it 21 outgoing transfers for the Bruins this offseason and four since the start of spring camp.

Another Bruin has left Westwood before the end of spring camp, and the decision came from another out-of-state transplant.

UCLA football linebacker Christian Burkhalter has entered the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. Burkhalter did not appear in a single game during his lone season with the Bruins last fall, coming to Westwood from Mobile, Alabama in 2021.

Burkhalter is the 21st UCLA player to enter the transfer portal this offseason and the fourth since spring camp began, joining linebacker Caleb Johnson, defensive lineman Odua Isibor and safety Elisha Gates.

That most recent surge has further robbed the defense of some depth, with 15 of the 21 outgoing transfers playing on that side of the ball. That pattern aligns with a staff overhaul since the end of the regular season, as UCLA made changes at defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, outside linebackers coach and inside linebackers coach.

Burkhalter's departure alone doesn't figure to have too much of an impact on the Bruins in the short term, considering he already wasn't participating in practice this month and did not take a snap over the course of the 2021 season.

However, the Alabama native's decision to enter the portal is the latest in a long line of out-of-state student-athletes deciding to leave the program. Of the 21 outgoing transfers from this offseason, 13 went to high school outside of California.

Roughly 35% of UCLA's roster in 2021 was not from California, and – adding in the eight out-of-state players who ran out of eligibility – that number is on track to be closer to 20% in 2022. 

Burkhalter himself was a 6-foot-5, 230-pound, three-star recruit who ranked as a top-15 player in Alabama and a top-30 edge rusher in the country. Burkhalter was the No. 6 commit in the Bruins' 2021 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Coming out of high school, Burkhalter also had offers from Arkansas, Michigan, Florida State, Georgia Tech and several other Power Five program. Burkhalter was committed to Oregon for five months in 2020, until he decommitted to sign with the Bruins ahead of the early signing period.

The top of UCLA's most recent recruiting class has been further trimmed down with Burkhalter leaving, as he joins defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea, safety Josh Moore and receiver Keontez Lewis to make it four of the top-eight signees who have left the program less than a year after arriving. All four of the transfers are also out-of-state products.

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 21 players now 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 11 incoming transfers and 11 signed recruits, UCLA has room to add as many as 10 more transfers.

Catch up on all the transfer market news related to UCLA at All Bruins' transfer portal tracker.

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