What the heck is going on with UCLA's 2026 class? Do they have a 2026 class? With 7 seniors graduating this seems really concerning
I'm just spitballing here, but I think that Kendall Dudley's mom feels that she was sold a bill of goods at UCLA (playing time, probably) and feels that her kid was recruited over through the portal... and may be throwing A LOT of shade at the program. Again, this is me extrapolating from very little evidence.
From a fan's perspective, it's pretty obvious that Coach Close is trying to ride this tiger to a championship and has thrown most of her resources at maximizing this season. So, freshmen were definitely not going to be starting over the upperclassmen, key transfers were definitely going to be blocking younger players, etc.
And after everyone graduates, then what is left to play for? If I was a 2026, I might be listening to the elder Dudley (or every other coach in the country) and wondering if my kid was just going to be shoved aside for a transfer. At this point, it's become obvious that UCLA will be hitting the portal hard for transfers just to fill out the roster, so it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
AND UCLA's big returners are hard to pin down positions for: Sienna Betts (4/5), Timea Gardiner (2/3/4/5?), Lena Bilic (2/3/4?). So, where is a freshman going to be playing? Maybe if I were a point guard, I would feel comfortable, but that is probably the most likely position to be picked off the transfer portal.
