The transfer portal era in college football and college sports has taken the world by storm. But, the UCLA Bruins have benefitted from it in football and basketball, superficially.
The Bruins have had a lot of big names in the transfer portal, including this year with DeShaun Foster at the helm.
Cody Nagel of 247Sports ranked the 10 best defensive players in the transfer portal era, and a familiar UCLA face was one of them: Laiatu Latu.
Laiatu Latu bounced back from a neck injury at Washington that nearly ended his career and became a unanimous All-American at UCLA two years later. The fierce pass rusher led the FBS in tackles for loss (21.5) and ranked tied for fourth in sacks (13.0) this past season, making a major impact on a Bruins defense that significantly improved from the prior year. Latu earned numerous postseason honors, including the Ted Hendricks Award as the top defensive end in college football. The Indianapolis Colts selected Latu with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first defensive player off the board.
Latu certainly worked out as he came to UCLA and turned into a star and a first-round draft pick with the Indianapolis Colts.