How Did These UCLA Transfers Perform in 2024? Part 5

The 2025 college football season is looming which means UCLA Bruins fans will finally get their first look at some of the Bruins' incoming transfers from the offseason.

DeShaun Foster went to work in the transfer portal in his first full offseason as Westwood's head coach and lured 29 transfers to cultivate the 20th-ranked transfer class in the nation on 247Sports' transfer ranking board.

In this new UCLA Bruins on SI series, we're going to dive into each transfer and how they did last season, including a few evaluations from national college football analysts.

In part five, we're starting to get into prospects that are slotted as backups in their positions, but have great upside with UCLA -- Anthony Woods, Ashton Sanders and Jamier Johnson.

Anthony Woods, Redshirt Junior TR RB, Utah Utes

Woods comes to Westwood by way of Salt Lake City. Although he's projected as the fourth-string running back behind Jaivian Thomas, Jalen Berger and Anthony Frias II, Woods likely went to UCLA because of it's proximity to home and the potential to bounce back from an ACL injury that kept him from playing at all in Utah.

"While it wasn't a primary need, with the loss of Harden, UCLA definitely had a running back in the nice-to-have pile, and Woods is a great fit for that sort of need. He could work out and absolutely end up a starter -- he was very good at Idaho, and Idaho is one of the top 10-15 FCS programs, so you can project reasonably well from that level to P4. But his presence also probably doesn't scare anyone away, and doesn't send any other backs heading for the Portal. This is a nice get with some good upside if everything works out OK with his health." -- Bruin Report Online Staff

Ashton Sanders, Redshirt Sophomore TR DL, Oklahoma Sooners

Sanders transferred to UCLA from Oklahoma along with offensive lineman Eugene Brooks, another massive addition for the Bruins in the portal. Sanders is currently slated behind Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams on the defensive line, but with three years of eligibility remaining, he could find himself a starting spot a lot easier than he would have with the Sooners.

"Arguably UCLA's most important two transfers so far have come from Oklahoma. Brooks will have every opportunity to start this year at guard, and Sanders goes a long way toward shoring up the interior defensive line depth, and he, too, will have a chance to start. It should be noted that both players are Los Angeles-area bouncebacks. Through time immemorial, UCLA has benefitted greatly from SoCal bouncebacks, and Brooks and Sanders could be the next two who make an impact for the Bruins. UCLA has now picked up 13 transfers in the Portal this cycle, with nine of them on the defensive side of the football. Ikaika Malloe and his mostly new defensive staff have been doing some very effective work." -- Bruin Report Online Staff

Jamier Johnson, Redshirt Senior TR CB, Indiana Hoosiers

Johnson is a former four-star, 90-rated high school prospect and is from Pasadena. The Bruins secondary is bolstered and, in his last collegiate season, Johnson will be competing for a starting spot in is homecoming.

"Demetrice Martin has completely overhauled the secondary. The Bruins have now picked up eight transfers for the 2025 season in the secondary alone, and that doesn't count the four true freshmen as well. Many of these transfers are former highly rated prospects, and much like on the offensive line, the theory of the case appears to be: pick up as much potential as you can, and then see if some real players emerge. Johnson has a year of starting experience under his belt now, and that could pay dividends for him this year -- but even if it doesn't pay off, Martin has stockpiled enough guys now in the secondary that you have to think that he's going to be able to put a solid rotation of players on the field in 2025." -- Bruin Report Online Staff