Former UCLA OT Headed to ACC

Another former UCLA Bruin has found a new home in the transfer portal.

Sep 28, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA has lost almost 20 players to the transfer portal so far, and a number of them have started to settle on new destinations.

The latest is former Bruin offensive tackle Niki Prongos, who had been one of the first from UCLA's 2024 roster to enter the portal this month.

According to multiple sources, Prongos has committed to Stanford.

The 6-foot-7, 285-pound lineman was one of the few bright spots for the Bruins' offensive line this past season. He made eight starts in nine appearances before going down with an injury against Iowa. He was out for the final three games of the Bruins' season.

Prongos joined UCLA as a walk-on in 2022. After not seeing the field in his first season with the Bruins, he would appear in one game in the 2023 season.

Prongos is rated by 247Sports as a three-star transfer. He is ranked the No. 22 interior offensive lineman in 247Sports' transfer rakings.

Prongos' departure serves as a hit to the Bruins' offense, which had one of the worst offensive line units in the Big Ten this past season.

Fortunately for UCLA, it has landed commitments from two solid transfer offensive linemen, who should help bolster what was the team's weak link in 2024.

The Bruins should still keep their foot on the gas in that department, though.

"I like what we have [at offensive line], but you still want to add depth, just for competition," said UCLA coach DeShaun Foster when he addressed the media on the Dec. 4 National Signing Day. "I just felt that our depth this season wasn't where it needed to be. Some games, we would get tired in the second half. The LSU game, we got tired in the second half, we can't put guys in. We needed more depth. So, I think that as long as we can get, potentially, some more guys in, yes, we want to do that, but I like what we have. I like the guys that are here right now that want to be Bruins."

So far this offseason, UCLA has earned 11 transfer commitments.

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