After logging into the transfer site last week, former Michigan defensive lineman Kechaun Bennett is no longer available. During his final four seasons with the Wolverines, Bennett (6-foot-5, 241 pounds) helped the team win a national championship in 2023. In 2021, the former four-star prospect from Suffield Academy (Connecticut) inked a contract with Michigan and former head coach Jim Harbaugh. Bennett was ranked among the top 50 players at the position and the second-best player in the state.
Bennett was ultimately buried on the depth chart within Michigan’s talented defensive line. He appeared in 11 games during the Wolverines’ national title season and totaled four tackles, a quarterback hurry and a blocked kick on special teams in 13 games in 2024. Bennett played well in Michigan’s spring game, totaling three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. However, that outing appears to be his last with the program after signing elsewhere in the Big Ten on Wednesday.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Bennett will finish his career out within the conference at UCLA, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports. The Bruins are coming off a disappointing first year under head coach DeShaun Foster after transitioning from former head coach Chip Kelly before the 2024 season. UCLA finished at 5-7 with just three conference wins in the inaugural season in the Big Ten. However, Foster and Co. have made significant transfer additions before the 2025 season.
Bennett joins a class that is highlighted by former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his brother, former Arkansas quarterback Madden Iamaleava. The Bruins lost 31 players to the portal during the 2025 cycle, but they have since added 25 transfers overall. The class is ranked 19th overall and fifth in the Big Ten.
