Sahir West looks to prove the doubters wrong and make UCLA's defensive line dominant

When it comes to names in the UCLA transfer portal. Out of the 41 that they were able to bring in. Not many are as big of a name as Sahir West is. The edge rusher is expected to play a big role right off the bat for UCLA. He was a dominant player at James Madison and can singlehandedly win his matchups and attract double teams. Helping free up the defensive line for other guys to succeed the Bruins are hoping for similar production in 2026.

There are many critics that think he will not be as effective going to UCLA. Saying that James Madison is inferior in terms of opponents and talent. That may be true, but this is a freshman that has huge potential. Also to mention that he has three years of eligibility left to get better each and every year. He is fast and can get around the edge. Regardless of what people think, UCLA did not get much production from their defensive line last season. It will not take much for them to improve.

Sahir West shines in the Sun Belt Championship

We had a dynamite season at James Madison. Including a performance in the Sun Belt championship game against Troy, that was for the ages. A game in which West had 10 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on the night. Leading the Dukes to the title and looked like a legit NFL prospect. It was from that moment on that UCLA fans had him circled as a number one target. They haven’t seen that type of production since Laiatu Latu donned the blue and gold.

The games will tell the full story. But there is no reason to believe the critics that West will not succeed in the Big Ten. Bob Chesney is a great defensive coach and looks to bring the UCLA Bruins defense back to prominence. That starts in the trenches and West is a large part of that. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot to be still determined. But West knows the defense and should hit the ground running from day one.