Sahir West was one of the big transfers at UCLA wanted when they were able to get Bob Chesney. Coming over from James Madison, he was a star player on the defensive line there. Helping lead the team to a College Football Playoff appearance and absolutely dominating in some of their games. Including the Sun Belt championship against Troy. A game in which West had 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
It may not mean nothin to y'all...💛🩵
— Barstool UCLA (@StoolWestwood) January 11, 2026
SAHIR WEST IS A BRUIN pic.twitter.com/1ZBjUa40mA
West will step right in and be a starter on the edge for UCLA. He will look to continue his great play at a bigger school and see if it will translate over from James Madison. He is a fast edge rusher that can beat his matchups and get to the quarterback. That is something that UCLA struggled mightily at in 2025 and look to turnaround in 2026 and allow them to relieve their offense more.
The entire UCLA defensive line will be brand new and figures to be very good right away. Chesney and Colin Hitschler look to transform this defense into a power house. They went and got some very good players in the transfer portal. Including two interior lineman in Maxwell Roy and Tyson Ford that will take up a ton of space in the middle. That will allow West to get more matchups on the outside by himself.
Sahir West : 10 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 3 sacks & a forced fumble (Career-highs in sacks & tackles for loss)
— Lee Harvey (@ben__zucker06) December 6, 2025
Drew Spinogatti : 6 tackles & a 22-yard scoop and score pic.twitter.com/QlNekRDLmM
West last season as a redshirt freshman had 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. With more talents surrounding him, the hope is that he continues to raise the ceiling of his potential. He has the possibility of having three years of eligibility at UCLA. That allows them to build around him for this upcoming season and more years to come. The potential is there for him to become a star in the Big Ten for the Bruins.
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