This post was updated Dec. 2 at 8:58 p.m.

The Bruins’ depth chart appears to have taken a major hit Monday evening. 

UCLA football junior running back T.J. Harden and redshirt sophomore quarterback Justyn Martin will reportedly enter the transfer portal. Harden’s decision was initially reported by Premium Sports LA, though the running back has yet to make a formal statement on his social media. Martin declared his plans through Instagram also on Monday evening.

Harden, a three-star recruit ranked No. 53 in the country coming out of Inglewood High School, led the Bruins’ ground attack this season and slotted in second place last year after former Bruin Carson Steele. Coach DeShaun Foster’s leading rusher in 2024 averaged 4.1 yards per carry and posted two touchdowns through the season – including one in the team’s final contest of the year against Fresno State on Saturday. 

The running back struggled through the early half of 2024 – stringing together just 226 yards through the season’s first eight matchups – but stepped up in the final month to tally 279 yards through November. Harden notched his season-best performance in UCLA’s 20-17 scraping of Iowa on Nov. 8 – racking up 125 rushing yards on 20 carries. 

Meanwhile, Martin made one start this season – against Penn State on Oct. 5 when first-string signal-caller redshirt senior Ethan Garbers was sidelined because of injury. Through the duel against the Nittany Lions, Martin totaled 167 passing yards on 22 completions and threw one passing touchdown. 

Through his two other appearances this season – against Indiana on Sept. 14 and Oregon on Sept. 28 – Martin garnered a combined 12 passing yards on two completions. He maintained a 68.6% completion rate through his second full season in Westwood. 

With Garbers set to graduate from UCLA in the spring, uncertainty looms over who will take over under center next season. With Garbers, Martin and redshirt seniors Chase Griffin and Nick Billoups all out of contention, Foster and quarterbacks coach Ted White currently have their pick between freshman Dermaricus Davis, freshman Henry Hasselbeck or redshirt freshman Luke Duncan – or a fresh face to come out of the portal or high school. 

Though the transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Dec. 9, Harden and Martin joined redshirt freshman defensive lineman Collins Acheampong – who did not appear in a game this past season – as the first three Bruins to enter the portal. It will stay open until Dec. 28. 

UCLA saw 18 transfers enter the portal after the team finished 8-5 in the 2023 season, a contrast to just seven the year prior. While it remains to be seen how many follow in Martin, Harden and Acheampong’s footsteps, Foster will have his work cut out for him in extracting talent from the transfer portal this offseason.