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.