UCLA defensive lineman Jay Toia intends to withdraw from NCAA Transfer Portal
It didn’t take long for UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Jay Toia to find his home for the 2024 season. And to the surprise of many Bruins fans, he has announced that he intends to return to the program for the upcoming football year.
Originally, Toia announced his intent to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal for the spring window in mid-April with this message on social media.
“As I prepare to graduate from UCLA… After speaking with my parents and family, I decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal last night,” said Toia via X.
To announce that he’s returned to the program, the Bruins interior defensive lineman took to social media again, dropping this post with a message attached to Bruins Nation.
It is worth noting that at the time of this announcement, Toia has yet to withdraw his name from the NCAA transfer portal officially.
In his three years at UCLA, Toia has played in 29 games, recording 66 total tackles, 38 solo, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. During his last two seasons with the Bruins, the interior defensive lineman showcased his dominance in the trenches. Now, he will be back in Los Angeles, CA, to continue his impressive play for the Bruins inside of their defensive trenches.
Despite winding up at UCLA, Toia initially committed to and enrolled at the campus of their crosstown rivals, USC, as part of their 2021 recruiting class. However, the massive coaching change for the Trojans resulted in defensive line coach Vic So’oto, who recruited Toia, leaving the program.
Toia played high school football at Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley, CA, where he was a four-star prospect. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, he was the No. 175 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle.
This offseason, UCLA has brought in nine players and lost 16, which is not uncommon for some of the upper-echelon programs of college football that have players buried deeper in their bench who want an opportunity to earn playing time, whether it be with them or elsewhere. However, it is worth noting that the Bruins did lose some significant top-ring talent, such as quarterback Dante Moore and star safety Kamari Ramsey. Both players opted to leave UCLA for two of their biggest rivals — the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans.
Losing players to the transfer portal hurts; acquiring a few can help ease that pain. The Bruins were able to bring in a few quality defensive backs to help shape out their secondary in Bryan Addison and KJ Wallace. Along with those two defensive backs, the Trojans also acquired safety Roman Henderson and wide receiver Rico Flores Jr, who both entered the program after spending last season with Notre Dame.