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 track who has joined, who has left and who to watch out for in the third 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]

Who is new?

We need to start with arguably UCLA’s biggest addition.

All-Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. First Team Freshman All-American, per The Athletic. ECAC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Sahir West.

UCLA won the bidding war over Ohio State for one of the most sought-after defensive linemen in the transfer portal, but the true freshman ultimately decided to return to Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler’s squad.

The Bruins had the fewest sacks in the nation this year, registering just 10 through 12 games.

West garnered seven just by himself this season.

UCLA ranked No. 134, out of 134 FBS teams, in tackles-for-loss.

West totaled 14 through 14 games during the 2025 campaign.

UCLA lacked a defensive front presence throughout 2025, and after former Bruins Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams entered the transfer portal, filling the gaps was imperative.

And Chesney did not stop with his former James Madison product either.

UCLA added both Maxwell Roy from Ohio State and Amier Washington from Texas Tech to the team’s 2026 defensive line.

Roy – a four-star transfer tied for the Bruins’ highest-ranked transfer – stands at 6-foot-3 and 301 pounds. The defensive lineman looks to be the team’s starting nose tackle and primary run stopper, a position that was virtually nonexistent in 2025.

The former Buckeye did not register any stats as a true freshman, but sat behind one of the most talented defensive fronts in the nation despite being a unanimous four-star high school prospect.

Washington had his most productive season in 2023, where he recorded three sacks and a forced fumble, but he has logged just 17 combined tackles and 0.5 sacks across his last two seasons. Graded as a three-star transfer recruit, Washington could see an increased role in a defensive line room that is continuing to take shape.

Darold Dengohe rounds out the defensive line additions. Dengohe played two seasons at JMU before spending this season at Rutgers, where he had limited playing time. His most productive campaign came in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he totalled 28 tackles, six tackles-for-loss and a sack in 2024.

But Chesney and his recruiting staff did not just address the trenches.

UCLA picked up one of its most notable additions in safety Tao Johnson from Utah. Johnson has garnered 154 tackles, 16 passes defended, a forced fumble and three interceptions across his three seasons in Salt Lake City. Johnson will immediately assume the free safety spot, joining redshirt sophomore defensive back Cole Martin in the back end of UCLA’s secondary.

Hitschler – who is touted for producing elite defensive backs and ball-hawking defenses – has built one of the country’s strongest secondaries by retaining Martin, along with starting defensive backs junior Scooter Jackson and redshirt sophomore Rodrick Pleasant, while also adding Johnson, former Virginia Tech cornerback Dante Lovett, former Iowa State safety Ta’Shawn James and former JMU nickel cornerback DJ Barksdale.

Hitschler and Chesney also made sure to stock up for the future, adding former UConn cornerback Osiris Gilbert and Montana State cornerback Jhase McMillan. Gilbert totaled just 18 tackles and a forced fumble in his freshman season, and McMillan redshirted his first year. Although Gilbert and McMillan may not see much of the field, Chesney and co. have added pieces for beyond the 2026 season.

While Hitschler got his secondary rounded out, offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy finished crafting his 2026 offensive line. The Bruins added former Harvard offensive lineman Derek Osman, former Arizona State guard Sean Na’a and former JMU guard Carter Sweazie.

UCLA’s starting offensive front in 2026 will most likely consist of former JMU product Riley Robell, former Boise State offensive lineman Hall Schmidt, redshirt freshman Eugene Brooks, redshirt junior Sam Yoon and Sweazie.

Sweazie is a shoo-in starter, since he started all 14 games at left guard and earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors this season. Na’a played just five games last season due to injury, and Osman may lack the pedigree and experience to earn the nod in Westwood.

Despite adding four receivers – Leland Smith, Semaj Morgan, Aidan Mizell and Landon Ellis – and retaining junior Mikey Matthews, Chesney and his staff rounded out a receiver group that may rival recent UCLA pass-catching units.

UCLA added two three-star transfers in Brian Rowe Jr. – a freshman from South Carolina who recorded 19 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown as a slot receiver for Gamecock quarterback LaNorris Sellers – and Marcus Harris, a freshman from Washington who redshirted this season but had offers from Alabama, Georgia and Texas out of Mater Dei High School.

Chesney also bolstered the tight end room, adding Stevie Amar Jr. from Boston College and Brayden Loftin from Kansas State.

Additionally, the Bruins addressed their inside linebacker room, acquiring Anthony Sacca from Notre Dame to join Drew Spinogatti from JMU. Sacca – ranked as a four-star by ESPN out of high school – did not see any action as a freshman but could see a massive increase in usage with a wide-open linebacker room in Westwood.

Lastly, UCLA added two punters – Chase Barry from Oklahoma State, who played at UCLA for two seasons, and Curtis Gerrand – to replace Will Karoll. The program also secured backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach from Cal Poly to replace departees Luke Duncan and Henry Hasselbeck.