UCLA football starts receiving new commitments in transfer portal
LOS ANGELES — Bob Chesney hosted his first recruiting weekend from Friday to Sunday, where about 20 transfer portal entrants arrived in Westwood for their official visits. And on Monday, the Southern California News Group can confirm the first few commits joining the Bruins’ new head football coach as he attempts to right the ship heading into the spring.
UCLA football received commitments from Cal linebacker Ryan McCulloch, James Madison offensive lineman JD Rayner and Virginia tech defensive back Dante Lovett across the last 48 hours, with the latter two transfer commits becoming public on Monday morning.
McCulloch, who before starring in Berkeley played at the historically small Rio Hondo Prep in Arcadia, joins his former Golden Bears outside linebackers coach Vic So’oto with the Bruins after So’oto was named as UCLA linebackers coach last week. He joins an edge rushers group in need of a boost after ranking dead last in tackles for loss and sacks in 2025.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher tallied 1.5 sacks during a four-game stint on the field in 2025, where McCulloch dealt with injuries that kept him off the field. McCulloch, a former three-star coming out of high school, played in 26 games across three seasons for Cal and has at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Rayner will be the first of at least a handful of former Dukes joining Chesney at UCLA – and in a position always in need of depth. The former high school tight end turned into an offensive lineman while coached by Chesney and offensive line coach Chris Smith at James Madison – redshirting the 2025 season.
At 6-foot-4 and 277 pounds, Rayner remains a developmental project with not much playing time to his name, but will have four years of eligibility to round out his profile if he were to remain in Westwood for a multi-year stint.
In a statement to SCNG, Rayner wrote that the way the coaching staff has treated him while at James Madison played a role in his decision to transfer, adding, “it’s like saying hi to a friend.”
“To have such a winning background and fantastic winning background and fantastic winning culture built well, having the relationships they form with the players, it really is special,” Rayner said in a statement. “Not going to be able to find that at a lot of other places. Even as a young guy, it never felt like I was just another number to them.”
Lovett joins UCLA after a mass exodus of secondary talent following former defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin’s departure. The cornerback redshirted the 2025 season after Virginia Tech fired coach Brent Pry, retaining two years of eligibility that will now be used as a Bruin.
Across two and a half seasons with the Hokies, Lovett recorded 36 tackles and an interception.
Group of former Bruins visit Tempe
Wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, kicker Mateen Bhaghani and defensive back Andre Jordan Jr. – three of close-to-20 Bruins who entered the transfer portal when it opened last week – took official visits to Arizona State over the weekend, per multiple reports. The Athletic reported that Martin is likely to join Arizona State’s coaching staff under head coach Kenny Dillingham.