Los Angeles native TJ Harden entered the transfer portal on Monday after leading the Bruins with 505 rushing yards this season.
Harden joined UCLA back in 2022 as a three-star recruit and appeared in 31 games as a Bruin over the past three seasons accumulating 1,658 rushing yards and over 500 more yards through the air. Harden frequented the end zone with the Bruins’, scoring 14 touchdowns including nine in 2023 alone.
His numbers this year took a bit of a step back from a stellar 2023 campaign under Chip Kelly, Harden averaged only 4.1 yards per rush this season, down from 5.3 in 2023 where he finished with 827 rushing yards. At 6’2” 240 lbs, Harden was a physical runner which is why Harden was first or second the past three seasons in rushing yards for UCLA running backs.
Harden now might be looking at playing football somewhere other than Southern California for the first time, after playing his high school ball at Inglewood High School. Fellow Bruins’ running back Keegan Jones is graduating, making Harden’s transfer an even stronger blow to the Bruins’ running back depth.