Another duck is about to become a bruin.
Former Oregon defenseman Keanu Williams committed to UCLA football on Saturday, he revealed on Twitter. Williams, who spent the last two seasons with the Ducks, entered the transfer portal on January 16.
Williams has three more years of eligibility to play.
Williams is the 15th signing to join the Bruins since the end of the regular season and joins UPenns defensive end Jake Heimlicher, Cal linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo, Princeton punter Will Powers, Kent State quarterback Collin Schlee, Purdue left guard Spencer Holstege , Army Running Back Anthony Adkins, Oregon Tight End Moliki Matavao, Montana State Kicker Blake Glessner, Ball State Running Back Carson Steele, Bowling Green Safety Jordan Anderson, Cal Wide Receiver J.Michael Sturdivant, College of the Sequoias Offensive Lineman Caleb Walker, USC Wide receiver Kyle Ford and Old Dominion left tackle Khadere Kounta.
UCLA has now caught five transfers from other Pac-12 programs, including two from Oregon. The Bruins also landed a transfer of Eugene in offensive tackle Jaylan Jeffers last offseason.
Williams arrived from Clovis High School (CA) in 2021 and was a four-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 27 player in California, the No. 40 defender in the country, and No. 312 in his class.
Williams was the No. 3 defenseman in California while No. 2 was rising junior Jay Toia.
UCLA made an offer to Williams back then, as did Washington when outside linebackers coach Ikaika Malloe was the defensive line coach in Seattle. The 6-foot-6, 304-pound volunteered with the Ducks through 21 other Division I programs.
In four games in his freshman year in Oregon, Williams played 15 snaps and three total tackles. He made a tackle in the 2021 Pac-12 championship game.
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Williams took on a slightly bigger role in 2022, snapping 113 in six games. Despite recording just two tackles as a redshirt rookie, the lineman recorded two pressings and a pass separation.
UCLA had depth problems on the inside line of defense in 2022, with veteran Martin Andrus Jr. going down with a season-ending injury in September and Gary Smith III, traded from Duke, missing four games with his own injuries. Former full-back Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi and former walk-on Dovid Magna were forced to step into bigger roles as a result, and they became the only notable backups for Toia, Smith and Harvard transfer Jacob Sykes.
Andrus and Sykes have both exhausted their eligibility, while Hayden Harris entered the transfer portal, leaving Toia and Smith as top options in the position group without many options. However, the Bruins did manage to sign two three-star defensemen for their 2023 recruit class in December — Grant Buckey and AJ Fuimaono.
Williams could immediately be fighting for a spot up the rotation, or he could take extra time to develop alongside his former four-star recruit Quintin Somerville, who has played three games in his first two seasons at Westwood .
Defensive line coach Chad Kauha’aha’a parted ways with UCLA in early January, leaving a lot up in the air at the forward-moving position. With the Bruins already tapping Kodi Whitfield to a new post as cornerbacks coach, it’s uncertain how or when they’ll find someone to fill Kauha’aha’a’s footsteps.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KEANU WILLIAMS/TWITTER
