UCLA Football transfer and former Indiana Hoosier set to have an impactful 2025 season

As UCLA defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe tries and rebuild the Bruins defense in 2025 after losing All-American linebacker Carson Schwesinger, defensive lineman Jay Toia, edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo and linebacker Kain Medrano he added plenty of depth through the transfer portal including Indiana cornerback Jamier Johnson.

The Bruins secondary is revamped with a load of transfer heavy veterans like Jamier Johnson from (Indiana), Bryon Threats (UCF), Key Lawrence (Ole Miss), Ben Perry (Louisville) and Andre Jordan Jr. (Oregon State) and Robert Stafford of Miami (FL).

It was reported in late January that Johnson was no longer with Indiana's football program. He officially entered the transfer portal on Feb. 3. UCLA is Johnson's third team (Texas and Indiana) and  is expected to have one year of college eligibility remaining.

After beginning his career at Texas and spending two seasons at Texas in 2021 and 2022 under head Steve Sarkisian, Johnson then transferred to Indiana before the 2023 season to play under head coach Tom Allen. Following Allen's firing from Indiana, Johnson played for head coach Curt Cignetti in 2024.

According to 247Sports' rankings, Johnson was the No. 25 cornerback and the No. 26 overall player in the state of California for the class of 2021. 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins stated that Johnson projected "as a impact upper tier Power 5 starter and future high round NFL draft pick."

Also a fun fact is that the UCLA Bruins' current offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach,Tino Sunseri, was the co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Hoosiers in 2024 while Johnson was on the roster.

In 12 games this past fall with 10 starts in Bloomington, he finished the season with 35 tackles, one interception, and one pass break-up.

In Johnson, the Bruins are getting a talented veteran with plenty to prove. Johnson is expected to start the season at cornerback and help guide UCLA back to contention in the Big Ten Conference. Last year, UCLA finished with a 5-7 overall record and has been busy adding to its roster. 

Indiana and UCLA takes on October 25th in a home game in Bloomington in the return for both Johnson and Sunseri.