Over 4,000 Division I football players have entered the transfer portal, and with the window opening Jan. 2 and closing Jan. 16, many new faces will join the Bob Chesney train in Westwood, and several will depart the Bruin program for good. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger will tracked who has joined, who has left and who to watch out for in the fourth transfer portal update of 2026.
[Related: UCLA football faces come and go in transfer portal trade-off]
[Related: UCLA football’s transfer picks look to strengthen offense]
[Related: UCLA football strengthens defense in third transfer portal update]
Who is new?
Bob Chesney has made it feel like Christmas in January.
Redshirt sophomore Nico Iamaleava returned to Westwood for another season, solidifying Chesney’s signal-caller for his first season at the helm in Los Angeles.
[Related: Quarterback Nico Iamaleava to return to UCLA football for 2026 season]
The Bruins’ transfer class ranks second in the Big Ten and No. 13 in the nation, particularly upgrading both the offensive and defensive lines – units that struggled all throughout the 2025 campaign. The transfer additions also helped cement one of the deepest and most proficient secondaries in the Big Ten, while building a wide receiver room that rivals anything UCLA has seen in recent years.
And on Tuesday, UCLA Athletics received $17.3 million from former student-athlete and coach Lawrence “Larry” Layne that will directly benefit both the football and men’s basketball programs.
“As a former UCLA student-athlete and coach, Larry fully understood the hard work and determination that was needed to be at his best both on and off the field, and this incredibly generous gift will make a big impact on helping us build a championship football team,” Chesney said in a statement.
Chesney has led a transfer cycle masterclass, and the cherry on top was linebacker Sammy Omosigho.
The former Oklahoma Sooner will immediately slide in as the green dot inside linebacker and command the middle of the defense alongside former Notre Dame linebacker Anthony Sacca, former JMU linebacker Drew Spinogatti and true freshman linebacker Scott Taylor.
Omosigho totaled 97 tackles, two sacks, four passes defended and a forced fumble across his past three seasons in Norman, Oklahoma.
With former Bruin linebackers JonJon Vaughns and Isaiah Chisom graduating and heading off to Oklahoma State, respectively, middle linebacker was the lone remaining gap in defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler’s unit.
The Bruins also added former four-star high school prospect – and California and Notre Dame defensive tackle – Tyson Ford to the defensive front, which beefed up a trench arsenal that allowed 190.4 running yards per game in the 2025 campaign, ranking No. 117 in the nation.
Ford – the former No. 2-ranked player out of Missouri by 247Sports.com – garnered just four tackles across the last three seasons but could see an increased role in a new environment.
On the opposite side of the trenches, the Bruins added former Eastern Michigan offensive lineman Mack Indestad, who has played in 13 games and started in nine throughout his Eagle career.
The lone transfer portal period ends Friday, and with the Bruins welcoming 37 new players and filling most position groups, it is unlikely that many more names – especially high-profile ones – will commit to Westwood in the waning days of the 2026 portal.
Who’s out?
No one else has entered the portal since the last transfer portal recap, but some former Bruins have found new permanent homes.
Defensive linemen Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams joined former UCLA defensive coordinators Ikaika Malloe and D’Anton Lynn at Penn State. The duo combined for 54 tackles this season.
Pass catchers Rico Flores Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer also found new homes, with the former joining Virginia and the latter heading to Nebraska. The pair combined for 809 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
Inside linebacker Ben Perry returned to Louisville after failing to register a tackle in Westwood, and Chisom announced his commitment to Oklahoma State – his third school in as many years.
Backup quarterbacks Luke Duncan and Henry Hasselbeck transferred to Nevada and Appalachian State, respectively, with the former starting against Ohio State and the latter failing to play a single snap in 2025.
Defensive backs Jamir Benjamin, Kanye Clark and Andre Jordan Jr. all went south – Benjamin joined Rice, Clark went to Florida and Jordan transferred to Auburn.
Benjamin played in all 12 games but registered just nine tackles, and Clark garnered 23 tackles along with two pass breakups. Jordan was one of the Bruins’ best players this season, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection after logging a team-leading 10 passes defended.
Lastly, tight end Jack Pedersen joined Washington State for his last year of eligibility, and defensive lineman Anthony Jones transferred with Gilmer to Nebraska – Jones’ fifth school in as many years.
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