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 Matthew Niiya continues the series with a dive into the defensive line.

Personnel

Next man up.

Departures have left UCLA’s defensive line a barren landscape ripe for new talent to take root.

2023 bore witness to a major turnaround for the Bruins’ defensive unit which leapfrogged from 92nd in scoring defense among FBS teams the year prior to 14th.

Former defensive lineman Laiatu Latu – the 2023 Lombardi Award winner – led the squad last season with 13 sacks and anchored its defense on the front lines. Later the No. 15 pick in the NFL Draft, Latu spearheaded a defensive front that wreaked havoc in opponents’ backfields, ranking seventh nationally in sacks per game.

Gabriel and Grayson Murphy and Carl Jones Jr. also advanced to the professional ranks. The trio pitched in eight, five and two sacks of their own, respectively, in their final seasons with the Bruins.

In response to the departures of four major contributors, UCLA brought in five new faces through the transfer portal.

Redshirt seniors Drew Tuazama, Cherif Seye and Luke Schuermann, redshirt junior Jacob Busic and redshirt freshman Collins Acheampong – a former four-star recruit – will all have a chance to carve out a role for themselves.

Among UCLA’s returners, redshirt senior Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi and redshirt juniors Keanu Williams and Devin Aupiu also figure to be among the rotation up front.

Though much of the Bruins’ pass rush is shrouded in mystery, their interior defensive line showcases more continuity.

Redshirt senior Gary Smith III and senior Jay Toia will feature as the main run-stuffers up the middle. The duo combined for 51 tackles in 2023 and will provide veteran leadership along the line.

Toia – who briefly entered the transfer portal before returning to UCLA – is positioned to be the new stalwart on the defensive line after starting 12 games for the second consecutive season. The Inglewood, California, local recorded career highs in solo tackles and tackles for loss in his junior campaign but is poised for an even larger role given the revamped defensive line.

Compounding the losses on the field are the changes along the sidelines.

Former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was hired to the same position at USC after one year in Westwood. UCLA opted for an in-house appointment, crowning Ikaika Malloe as the successor.

The former defensive line coach promptly added Oregon graduate assistant Tony Washington Jr. to his staff to take the reins of the front four.

Predictions

There is little question that UCLA’s defensive front will not be as productive as its 2023 counterpart. After slotting in at No. 7 in the nation in sacks per game, too much talent has departed Westwood for UCLA to remain a top-10 sack-producing team.

Although the quartet of Latu, Jones Jr., and the Murphy twins can be replaced physically, their skill and experience at the Power 5 level cannot. Seye, Schuermann and Busic all previously played at smaller programs – Schuermann hailing from Division III Johns Hopkins – while Tuazama and Acheampong saw minimal action last season.

Acheampong and Busic – a 2022 All-American Athletic Conference honorable mention – have compelling arguments to start on the outside, but the position battle has yet to be decided.

Widespread departures across the secondary will also put pressure on the defensive ends to generate a consistent pass rush while the interior linemen will be tasked with slowing opponents’ running games.

Fresh faces all around could signal a step back from a strong 2023 campaign for UCLA’s defensive line.

Email Niiya at [email protected] or tweet @MatthewNiiyaDB.