It looks as if UCLA is going to miss out on another big transfer portal target. Tounde Yessoufou had been linked to UCLA as a star transfer. But it looks like he is going to be keeping his name in the NBA Draft. Which means UCLA will still have two open scholarships available, but limited options still on the transfer portal market. There are not many more players that they have been linked to that are available.
Tounde Yessoufou, a Baylor transfer and #UCLA men’s basketball target, will remain in the NBA Draft, his agent Demetrius Porter confirmed to me. @recruitsnews had it first.
— Aaron Heisen (@aaron_heisen) April 29, 2026
Other sources close to Yessoufou had told me it was unlikely he would forgo the NBA draft because of…
This is a big-time miss for the Bruins as they still look for a wing player and traditional center. They will need to still try and add a few players to this roster to help them compete. They have done a very good job at building a younger core that has more eligibility. But in the days of the NIL era you never know how long a player is going to stay with a school. There are players that have played for three or four teams in their college career.
You cannot fully rely on guys that you get that are freshman to stay three years with a school. It is a gift if you’re able to do so. But if the player has a really good season, they feel as if they can make more NIL at another school. UCLA will need to rely on self growth within the school to win games in 2026 right now. That includes the star jump by Trent Perry and then Jaylen Petty, Filip Jović and Eric Freeny taking big leaps. While Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker have good senior years.
Tounde Yessoufou vs BYU..
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) February 11, 2026
37 PTS (12/19 FG, 5/8 3PT, 8/8 FT)
6 REB
3 AST
1 STL
Do you guys see the preseason Anthony Edwards comparison?? Where is he on our mock drafts?? pic.twitter.com/jzAgUsQXtU
Yessoufou would’ve been an amazing addition to this team and added a ton of scoring. He also was a good defender that would’ve fit right in. Now, UCLA is left reeling after missing out on him and John Blackwell. It will be interesting to see how they use their last two scholarships. As many of the top players are now off the market. Unless they made a run at Juke Harris it is going to be tough.
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