Utah Tech EDGE transfer Dallin Havea headed to UCLA
Dallin Havea, an edge rusher who spent this past season at Utah Tech, is transferring to UCLA, he confirmed to BruinBlitz on Thursday afternoon.
Havea, who started his collegiate career at Brigham Young, first broke the news to 247 Sports.
“Yes, I’ll be transferring to UCLA,” Havea said.
“Overall, I felt energized being around the program and the direction it is headed. It’s a staff and culture that knows how to rise, and is hungry to improve and grow and that’s something I’m excited to be a part of.”
The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder is the Bruins’ fifth incoming edge rusher, joining Sahir West and (James Madison), Aiden Gobaira, Ryan McCulloch (California) and Amier Washington (Texas Tech). Havea is the 41st transfer commit overall for UCLA.
Havea’s path to Westwood
The Orem, Utah, native did not see action with BYU as a freshman in 2024.
In his lone season at Utah Tech, Havea 43 tackles (six for a loss) and five sacks. He has three years of remaining eligibility.
Out of high school, Havea was a three-star recruit and the 21st-best prospect in the state of Utah in the 2021 Rivals Industry rankings.
His thoughts on the UCLA staff
Havea said he had the opportunity to connect with most of the Bruins’ new-look staff. Defensive ends coach Sam Daniels and head coach Bob Chesney, in particular, made a lasting impression.
“I spent the most time with coach Daniels,” Havea said. “From the moment I was around the program, I could feel a glimpse of the culture coach Chesney is building at UCLA. He’s a high energy, positive, player development coach, and I’m excited to grow both on and off the field under his leadership.
“Coach Daniels was genuine and real with me throughout the process. Being around him gave me a lot of confidence in his ability to help me continue developing into a dominant EDGE at this level. He shared with me [he liked] my violent and high-motor play, and ability to bend at the top of the rush. I feel he really understands my game and the next steps I need to take to be the best player I can be.”
