UCLA Football Linebacker Myles Jackson Enters Transfer Portal

Jackson becomes the first Bruin to enter the transfer portal in the upcoming cycle.

The first Bruin has officially entered the transfer portal.

Linebacker Myles Jackson intends to transfer away from UCLA football (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12), he announced via his Twitter on Sunday afternoon. Jackson had six tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in seven games with the Bruins in 2021.

Jackson suffered a season-ending knee injury one game into his true freshman year in 2020, and still has four full years of NCAA eligibility remaining due to every player getting a free COVID-19 year.

Thank you to all my coaches and teammates for the memories that i’ve made here. It’s been an unbelievable season I’ll never forget it. I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility left. I wish all my teammates and coaches the best 💙💯

— MISSLE🚀🚀🚀 (@_mylesjackson) November 29, 2021

Jackson was a three-star recruiting coming out of Mill Creek HS (GA) according to the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-2, 248-pound linebacker was the No. 11 recruit out of the 19 true freshmen in UCLA's 2020 recruiting class. Jackson enrolled early for spring camp in 2020, but only got two practices in before the sessions were shut down for COVID-19.

Not that coach Chip Kelly knew that Jackson specifically would be transferring, but he did allude towards a mass transfer exchange getting underway Sunday when asked about roster management last Wednesday.

"I think (the transfer portal) is going to blow up on Sunday, because every FBS school will be done playing on Sunday – the only schools left playing are going to be playing in the championship games," Kelly said. "But there’s been numerous schools that have had seven, eight, nine players go in during the season, so I would imagine every school is going to have kids go in after the season because the one thing that the student-athletes understand now is that they’re instantly eligible."

Jackson had been playing the defensive end/outside linebacker edge rusher position this season. Mitchell Agude, the starter at that position, missed some time midseason and Jackson earned some more reps as a result.

Agude was announced and honored as part of UCLA's Senior Day festivities Saturday against Cal, but he still has an extra year of eligibility remaining should he decide to return. If he does not, with Jackson gone, rising sophomores Devin Aupiu, Christian Burkhalter and Hayden Nelson become the top players at that position

Jackson will presumably not be playing in UCLA's upcoming bowl game, nor will he be practicing with the team in the coming weeks.

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