Another Bruin left Westwood before the end of spring camp, and the decision came from another out-of-state transplant.
UCLA football midfielder Christian Burkhalter has entered the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Burkhalter did not appear in a single game during his solo season with the Bruins last fall, coming to Westwood from Mobile, Alabama in 2021.
Burkhalter is UCLA’s 21st player to enter the transfer gate this off-season and fourth since starting spring camp, joining linebacker Caleb Johnson and linebacker Odua Isibor and safety Elisha Gates.
This latest increase robbed the defense of more depth, playing 15 of the 21 transitions finished on that side of the ball. This pattern is in line with a comprehensive staff overhaul since the end of the regular season, in which UCLA has made changes to the defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, outside quarterback coach, and inside lineback coach.
It doesn’t look like Berkhalter’s departure alone will have much of an impact on the Bruins in the short term, considering he wasn’t already in training this month and hasn’t taken any shots over the course of the 2021 season.
However, the Alabama native’s decision to enter the gate is the latest in a long line of out-of-state student-athletes who have decided to leave the program. Of the 21 transfers released this season, 13 went to high school outside of California.
Roughly 35% of UCLA’s roster in 2021 were not from California, and — plus eight out-of-state players who ran out of eligibility — that number is on track to be closer to 20% in 2022.
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Burkhalter himself was a 6-foot-5, 230-pound, three-star recruit and ranked as a top 15 player in Alabama and one of the country’s top 30 players. Burkhalter ranked sixth in the 2021 enlistment category at Bruins, according to 247Sports Composite.
After graduating from high school, Burkhalter also received offers from Arkansas, Michigan, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and several other Power Five programs. Burkhalter was committed to Oregon for five months in 2020, until he stopped signing with Bruins before his early signing period.
The top of UCLA’s recent enlistment class has been further curtailed with Burkhalter’s departure, joining defensive linebacker Tiaoalii Savea, safety Josh Moore and receiver Keontez Lewis to make him four of the top eight signers to leave the program less than a year after his arrival. All four transfers are also out-of-state products.
The technical rules around scholarships and transfers are complicated enough in a typical year, but with distinguished seniors still in existence and COVID-19 eligibility extensions granted across the country, it’s getting even more messy. Basically, schools are allowed to add up to 25 new scholarship players per course, but that number goes up for each transfer issued.
However, that number is capped at 32, and with 21 players now in the transfer gate, the Bruins are past the point where they can’t substitute extra departures if any other player announces their intention to leave the program. Between 11 incoming transfers and 11 signed recruits, UCLA has room to add up to 10 more transfers.
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