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Football transfers gear up for first game as UCLA players, end of spring ball

Rising junior running back Zach Charbonnet transferred to UCLA football in the offseason after rushing for 850 yards on 168 attempts in two years at Michigan. (Esther Ma/Daily Bruin)

By Sam Connon

May 26, 2021 1:56 p.m.

The Bruins fielded several key graduate transfers last season, and all of them are returning for 2021.

Running back Brittain Brown, left guard Paul Grattan, cornerback Obi Eboh and safety Qwuantrezz Knight all elected to cash in on their extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA following the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. All four are looking like potential starters based on where they’ve lined up during spring ball, which comes to an end Thursday morning.

The returning core of veteran transplants made waves when they each announced their return to Westwood, ultimately overshadowing the next round of transfers who entered the program this offseason.

Rising junior running back Zach Charbonnet transferred from Michigan in the offseason, while linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath graduated from Notre Dame before enrolling at UCLA to pursue a master’s degree in transformative coaching and leadership. Former Washington quarterback Ethan Garbers, Texas A&M receiver Kam Brown and Alabama linebacker Ale Kaho all signed on to be Bruins as well and enrolled early to join the team for spring practice.

Each of them have different reasons for making their respective transfers – one did it to move closer to his stomping grounds, while another wound up even farther away from his.

“I just wanted an opportunity to get closer to home,” Charbonnet said. “UCLA’s right down my alley, right down the street, so that was one of my decisions going into it.”

Charbonnet graduated from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California, in 2019, racking up 62 touchdowns and 5,169 career yards from scrimmage before heading out to Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his freshman year with the Wolverines, Charbonnet rushed for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns before injuries and a crowded backfield robbed him of touches in 2020.

The running back’s journey east and back again was a long one but not quite as long as Genmark Heath’s.

Genmark Heath was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, something he was very proud of during his Tuesday morning press conference.

“Yes sir, blonde hair, blue eyes right here,” Genmark Heath – who is Black – said jokingly.

The Swede made the nearly 6,000-mile move to San Diego, California, for high school. He was initially recruited by UCLA to play linebacker, but Genmark Heath said he chose Notre Dame because its coaches wanted to use him at his natural safety position – although even the Fighting Irish wound up moving him to linebacker before he graduated.

Genmark Heath said making big moves in the real world helped him eventually make the position change.

“It sounds a little aggressive, but I love to hit people,” Genmark Heath said. “It puts me closer to the action, so it’s definitely a great opportunity. And I think that the coaches have been around it for so long, they know what’s best, and they can kind of see how your body and your playing style progress.”

Since both Charbonnet and Genmark Heath have Southern California ties, they aren’t complete strangers to the roster that was already in place for coach Chip Kelly.

Charbonnet played with rising senior linebacker Bo Calvert and rising redshirt senior linebacker Shea Pitts in high school, while Genmark Heath was a year behind senior kicker Kevin Boermeester at Cathedral Catholic High School. Genmark Heath also said he remembers early-enrollee freshman wide receiver DJ Justice coming to watch his high school games as a seventh grader, and he’s made connections with other San Diego-native Bruins, such as rising senior safety Martell Irby.

The new crop of transfers will make their first public appearances with UCLA on Thursday. The Bruins’ Spring Showcase will be televised on Pac-12 Networks starting at 9 a.m., finally rounding out an unorthodox and long-delayed spring camp with fewer than 100 days to go until the 2021 season opener.

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Sam Connon | Alumnus
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
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