Only a day has passed since the Bruins’ first offseason splash, and they’re already making more moves.

This time, coach Mick Cronin is welcoming in a former rival for the first time.

Former USC junior guard Kobe Johnson announced his decision to commit to UCLA men’s basketball Thursday morning on Instagram. The crosstown move signifies the second portal acquisition for the Bruins, having already secured a commitment from former Louisville sophomore guard Skyy Clark on Wednesday.

Johnson, ranked as the sixth-best available transfer by 247Sports, brings versatility to the wing as both a burgeoning scorer and proven defender.

The two-year starter tallied 10.9 points, 3.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest this season – all marks which exceeded his career averages. He was USC’s third-leading scorer following a 2022-2023 campaign in which his 9.2 points per game were good for fourth-best on the squad.

But Johnson’s ability to find the basket is not his distinguishing skill. Sticky hands are the cornerstone of his staunch defensive presence.

The former three-star recruit racked up 72 steals during his first year in the starting lineup, good for second among all Pac-12 players and tied for 17th nationally. He followed up that effort with 68 this year, again placing second in the conference.

Johnson assembled 14 games with three or more steals in 2023-2024, including nine performances with at least four. He accumulated 26 steals alone across the final eight games of the Trojans’ campaign.

In reward for his strong defensive acumen, Johnson has been named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team in back-to-back seasons – joining sophomore forward/center Adem Bona as the only two active players in the conference to receive the honor on multiple occasions.

Despite ranking among the country’s worst in scoring offense and 3-point percentage this season, UCLA finished No. 18 in scoring defense by allowing 65.5 points per game. With Bona – the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year – potentially moving on to the NBA Draft, Johnson could help soften the blow of his absence for a Bruin team that has always emphasized stifling defense under Cronin.

Johnson entered his name into both the portal and the draft March 22, becoming the third departure from USC this offseason. Freshman guard Ilane Fibleuil is the only loss to the portal so far for UCLA, while none of its players have announced an intention to test draft waters yet.

The Trojan ultimately chose a return to the college landscape and, as a result, gives the Bruins a key defensive piece in the search to rebound from a 16-17 campaign.