Former Bruins WR Transfers to SEC

Former UCLA Bruins wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant entered the portal this month and just made his decision on where he will play his final year of college football.

Dec 16, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (1) a touchdown pass against Boise State Broncos cornerback A'Marion McCoy (21) in the fourth quarter of the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins very much enjoyed the past seasons having junior wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant making an impact on their roster, but his time in Westwood has come to an end. Sturdivant will be transferring to the Florida Gators for his final year of eligibility, per multiple reports.

Sturdivant spent the past two seasons with the Bruins after transferring from the Cal Bears after his freshman season. In his time at the Rose Bowl, Sturdivant played in 20 games, totaling 770 receiving yards and five touchdown catches.

Throughout his Bruins career, Sturdivant's best game came at the end of 2023 when he posted a career-high 142 receiving yards on four catches with a touchdown grab in the Starco Brands LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos. The Bruins would go on to win the game, 35-22.

After playing in seven games this past season, it made sense that Sturdivant would enter the portal and look for a new school for his final year. He was not one of the top target options despite having a pair of games with over 100 yards receiving, including one against USC at the end of the year.

Despite having the big games, the other five that Sturdivant played in, he failed to record even 40 yards of receiving. It was boom or bust each game for Sturdivant, and the Bruins require a bit more consistency from their wideouts.

The Highland Village, Texas native will take his talents down south to Gainesville as he will pair up with Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway, who had a strong finish to the 2024 season. Those two will surely be a threat to be reckoned with in the SEC next season as Sturdivant seeks national recognition.

From what was put on tape over the past two seasons, Sturdivant definitely has the talent and abilities to play at the next level. He just requires a major opportunity to be a top target and show that he can dominate highly-skilled defenders in one of the nation's top conferences.

Who knows, maybe a destined bowl game awaits the Bruins against their former pass catcher next season which would make for some incredible theatre. Regardless, the Bruins were proud to have Sturdivant as a piece of the program and his production will surely be missed going forward.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.