There was a 6-foot-3, 325-pound hole on the inside of UCLA’s defensive line Thursday.
It felt much bigger.
Jay Toia, the Bruins’ best defensive lineman and top run-stuffer, announced shortly after practice ended on the social media platform X that he intended to enter the transfer portal after speaking with his parents about his future.
His departure is a huge blow to a defense that was already considerably thinned by the loss of top edge rushers Laiatu Latu and twins Gabriel and Grayson Murphy to the NFL draft, not to mention defensive backs Kamari Ramsey and John Humphrey to transfers to USC.
Keanu Williams, Gary Smith III and Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi are the top candidates to take the two starting spots on interior defensive line, though Smith has been sidelined this spring by an unspecified injury that has limited him to individual workouts. While Williams and Smith have previous starting experience with the Bruins, Havili-Kaufusi has appeared exclusively as a reserve.
Havili-Kaufusi, Williams and Siale Taupaki spent turns rotating with the first team defense in practice Thursday.
A major contributor since arriving as a transfer from USC before the 2021 season, Toia started every game last season and logged 28 tackles — including four for loss — to go with one sack. The senior appeared to be in the best shape of his career this spring after having slimmed down to a weight that made him increasingly mobile.
Toia sparked controversy during his freshman season when a video emerged showing him blocking an elevator doorway to prevent a group of students from leaving while also using degrading and threatening language. Toia did not miss any games, but it was never publicly disclosed whether he faced any discipline as a result of the incident.
Toia becomes the third UCLA player to enter the transfer portal since the start of spring practices, joining quarterback Collin Schlee and edge rusher Choe Bryant-Strother.
Like every player who enters the portal, Toia has the ability to change his mind and return. UCLA kept running back Keegan Jones and guard Spencer Holstege after they entered the portal over the winter, though a return involving Toia appears less likely given the timing of his move.
