This post was updated Aug. 17 at 9:15 p.m.
Inching closer to a new era for UCLA football in the Big Ten, Daily Bruin Sports will preview each of the Bruins’ position groups prior to the season’s official start. Daily Bruin contributor Noah Massey continues the series with a dive into the special teams.
Personnel
Four vacancies in the Bruins’ starting secondary have left gaps for transfers and recruits to fill.
Six Bruin defensive backs who started at least one game left UCLA after the 2023 season – half having exhausted their collegiate eligibility, the other half transferring out of Westwood.
Former defensive backs Kenny Churchwell III, Alex Johnson, John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey – who combined for 150 tackles and nine interceptions last season – were part of the departing contingent, with the latter two following former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC.
However, UCLA has managed to retain and acquire talent for a secondary room that returns just one full-season starter.
Redshirt junior defensive back Jaylin Davies is returning for his second year as a full-time starting cornerback after leading the team with six pass breakups and amassing 43 tackles. The former Oregon transfer has started 16 games over his two years in Westwood and is expected to slot in as one of UCLA’s primary cornerbacks following Humphrey’s departure.
Meanwhile, senior cornerback Devin Kirkwood is poised to regain a permanent starting role after starting just three games last year. The 6-foot-3 former four-star recruit has appeared in 34 games through his Bruin tenure, amassing two interceptions and eight pass breakups.
UCLA also added four defensive backs from the transfer portal, all of whom are seniors and bring experience from fellow Power 5 schools.
Redshirt senior K.J. Wallace is the favorite to fill nickelback duties after 19 starts at the position through two campaigns at Georgia Tech. The 5-foot-11 Atlanta local brings five years of college football experience to Westwood, including three at Notre Dame prior to his time in Georgia. Senior California transfer Kaylin Moore carries nickelback experience as well and will likely see snaps at the position.
After losing both starting safeties in Churchwell and Ramsey, the Bruins will look to redshirt senior transfers in Ramon Henderson from Notre Dame and Bryan Addison from Oregon. The two appeared in a total of 24 games and combined for 44 tackles last season along with eight pass breakups and three interceptions.
Between former four-star recruits – redshirt sophomores Clint Stephens and Jadyn Marshall, redshirt freshman R.J. Jones and freshman Jamir Benjamin – there is plenty of depth off the bench to supplement a veteran secondary.
Predictions
The Bruins are poised to compensate for the significant turnover to their pass defense. Regardless of a renewed look, UCLA’s secondary should perform similarly to last year’s group – about average.
Last season, UCLA had the 10th-best defense in the nation, allowing just 301.5 yards per game, but this was largely due to its run defense, which ranked second in the nation. The team’s aerial defense, however, finished 61st in the country out of 133 FBS programs.
While this might have been a product of Lynn’s play calling last season rather than the players on the field, newly-promoted defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe said he will largely maintain Lynn’s schemes.
After losing Lynn and the players that powered the Bruin defense, how this season’s group will stack up remains to be seen.
Despite very few returners, UCLA’s secondary appears to be in solid shape heading into the 2024 season, largely thanks to a solid recruiting effort through the transfer portal.
This group should keep the Bruins solidly in the middle of the pack in pass-defense metrics.
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