UCLA Retains Roster, Adds Transfers for 2026-27

The Bruins kept all eligible players and added transfers and freshmen as Mick Cronin begins his eighth season.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Basketball

UCLA Retains Roster, Adds Transfers for 2026-27

UCLA men's basketball retained all of its eligible players and added transfers and freshmen for the 2026-27 season. Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark transferred to LSU after receiving eligibility through a state court plaintiff case.

Why it matters

The roster changes address UCLA's defensive and rebounding weaknesses from a 24-12 season that ended in a Round of 32 loss to UConn. Losing Dent and Clark removes two key contributors from the backcourt.

Tyler Bilodeau led UCLA with 17.6 points per game, and Skyy Clark shot 43% from three-point range before missing 10 games with a hamstring injury. Xavier Booker, who shot 43.3% from three and averaged 1.2 blocks in 20 minutes, is central to the Bruins' interior plans.

The players

Mick Cronin

Mick Cronin is the head coach of UCLA men's basketball, now entering his eighth season with the program.

Donovan Dent

Donovan Dent is a former UCLA guard who led the team in assists before transferring to LSU through a state court eligibility ruling.

Skyy Clark

Skyy Clark is a former UCLA guard who shot 43% from three-point range before transferring to LSU.

The details

Dent became a plaintiff in state court after the NCAA instituted its age-based eligibility model, retired, then unretired and transferred to LSU. Clark received a fifth year of eligibility and followed the same path to LSU, while Trent Perry returns for his junior season.

Summer 2026: UCLA courted Nikola Kusturica during the offseason recruiting period.
October 2026: Mick Cronin began his eighth season coaching UCLA.

Season Trajectory

Dent and Clark's path to LSU, made possible by a state court challenge to the NCAA's age-based eligibility model, shows how eligibility litigation is reshaping college roster movement. UCLA's 2026-27 roster depends on whether its returning and incoming players can fix the defensive and rebounding problems that ranked 49th and 228th in 2025-26.

Fantasy managers tracking UCLA players should note that Dent and Clark are no longer with the Bruins, and Trent Perry's 12.6 points per game make him the returning scoring option. Rotation minutes and scoring roles for Booker and the newcomers will become clearer as the season begins.

The takeaway

Eligibility rulings are now a central factor in college roster construction, and UCLA's ability to rebuild its defense and rebounding will decide how far the Bruins can advance.