UCLA sees mass exodus as juniors Londynn Jones, Janiah Barker reportedly join group entering transfer portal

UCLA’s bench is going to look very different next season. The Bruins are losing a huge swath of players to the transfer portal less than a week after an appearance in the 2025 Final Four — the first in program history.

Six players — including the team’s entire freshman class — have entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.

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Junior guard Janiah Barker and junior forward Londynn Jones, both standouts on the team, are among those transferring, per reports on Thursday. Jones started 31 games for the Bruins this year after playing with the team for three seasons. Barker, a transfer from Texas A&M, earned Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year honors, averaging 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds off the bench.

In addition, freshmen Elina Aarnisalo, Kendall Dudley, Avary Cain and Zania Socka-Nguemen reportedly put their names into the portal, per reports on Wednesday. All four of the freshmen played limited minutes, although Aarnisalo, a guard, started 10 games this season.

Dudley, a forward who played in 37 games and started one for the Bruins, announced her commitment to play for Michigan on Thursday.

UCLA is still set to have a strong team next season. Cori Close, the reigning Coach of the Year, will have Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Betts holding things down, plus All-Big Ten guard Kiki Rice. The Bruins will also have Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker, who transferred to UCLA last year with a fifth year of eligibility but missed the 2024-25 season while rehabbing an ACL injury. Betts’ younger sister, Sienna Betts, is also set to join the team next season.

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But it’s a notable exodus to see six players leave a top contender, especially in a busy year for the transfer portal. Some of the top players in the country have opted to leave their schools. Cotie McMahon, who dominated at Ohio State, is transferring to Ole Miss; Ta’Niya Latson, who was the nation’s leading scorer at Florida State, is joining South Carolina next season.

The Bruins could still be in the running for a deep March Madness run — but their bench will be missing some faces from this year.