UCLA Football: Highly Coveted Transfer OT Scheduling Visit With Bruins

The Bruins would love to add some depth up front...

OL Andrew Chamblee / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

It's no secret UCLA Bruins football needs help along its offensive line.

The Bruins allowed 42 sacks this past year. Despite returning four starters from last season, the unit as a whole -- particularly at tackle -- needs a serious upgrade.

New head coach DeShaun Foster has been very aggressive when recruiting high school OLs in the class of 2025. Based on a report from Pete Thamel, this aggression has extended to the transfer portal as well.

Former Arkansas OL Andrew Chamblee is reportedly visiting four schools in the upcoming weeks. Among them, UCLA was able to snag a visit -- thus paving the way for Chamblee to take in everything the program has to offer in this new era of Bruins football.

Arkansas OT Andrew Chamblee, one of the portal’s most coveted linemen, is expected to schedule visits with Kansas State, Colorado, Virginia Tech and UCLA, per agents @fcprospects_ and @callmeagentdwil. SMU and Indiana have also expressed interest in a visit.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 14, 2024

Along with UCLA, Chamblee is reportedly considering Kansas State, Colorado, and Virginia Tech.

Chamblee was a 4-star prospect in the class of 2022. 247Sports had Chamblee ranked as the No. 2 prospect out of the state of Arkansas. Originally, he opted to play for his hometown Razorbacks over offers from Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, Miami, and Penn State.

🏈 2023 All-#SECFB: Freshman Team

🔗 https://t.co/Tx4x8t03v1 pic.twitter.com/mIGkyyyCBe

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 7, 2023

This past year as a redshirt freshman, Chamblee played extensively at left tackle. The 6'6" athlete was named to the All SEC Freshman team based on his play.

Chamblee would be a massively significant addition to this roster. With all respect to imcumbent LT Bruno Fina, he's just not good enough to play as a starter at the Big Ten level. Chamblee would be a Day 1 starter where you could plug him in and expect an improved level of performance.

The move to the Big Ten necessitates strong line play, and Foster clearly understands this premise. While UCLA's NIL program is still a work in progress, the Bruins do have the academic card to play -- along with the fact this staff is loaded with NFL experience. This includes OL coach Juan Castillo, a man who's coached close to 30 years in the league.