UCLA Football Wide Receiver Matt Sykes Enters Transfer Portal
The Bruins are set to lose one of their most experienced skill position players.
UCLA football wide receiver Matt Sykes has entered the NCAA transfer portal, the junior revealed Tuesday evening. 247Sports' Chris Hummer was first to report Sykes' departure, then Sykes made the announcement himself an hour later.
Sykes appeared in 31 of the Bruins' 32 games over the past three seasons with four starts, and he will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he goes next.
UCLA has now had 10 players enter the transfer portal this year, with offensive linemen Tyler Manoa and Baraka Beckett getting the ball rolling in early October. Quarterback Chase Artopoeus, defensive lineman Hayden Harris, linebacker Erich Osteen, kicker/punter Nicholas Barr-Mira, linebacker Jeremiah Trojan, linebacker Kobey Fitzgerald and running back Christian Grubb all entered between the end of the regular season and the Bruins' appearance at the Sun Bowl.
Sykes arrived in Westwood as a lanky three-star prospect back in 2020, securing three catches for 24 yards as a true freshman. The 6-foot-4 wideout took the field in all 12 of UCLA's games in 2021, but only caught one pass for nine yards.
The veteran from Makakilo, Hawaii, set career highs across the board after suiting up in 13 games this past fall, even reeling in a touchdown grab against Colorado on Sept. 24. Sykes finished the year with 86 yards on six catches.
Sykes left the Sun Bowl with an apparent concussion back on Dec. 30 after attempting to make a head-first tackle on special teams. Sykes recorded three tackles as a special teamer in 2022.
For his career, Sykes has recorded 10 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Sykes saw the field more regularly than his statistics would suggest, though, since he thrived as a blocker for the Bruins in the run game.
With Jake Bobo running out of eligibility, UCLA is now set to lose its two tallest receivers this offseason. Kazmeir Allen declared for the 2023 NFL Draft back in December, so three of the Bruins' most experienced wideouts will not be on the roster come next season.
Former Texas A&M transfer Kam Brown, former UCF transfer Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and Sykes' classmate Logan Loya will be the most productive returning receivers on the 2023 roster. Super senior Josiah Norwood – a former walk-on quarterback – and class of 2022 signees Jadyn Marshall and Braden Pegan could be looking to boost their workloads as well.
UCLA also signed four-star receivers Jeremiah McClure and Grant Gray to their 2023 recruiting class back in December, so the youth movement could start to take charge sooner rather than later in the Bruins' receiving corps.
Click here to check out All Bruins' 2023 transfer portal tracker
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