"During the game's first series, the lifelong fan saw No. 15 on the UCLA defense surge into the Nevada Las Vegas backfield. Morales wondered about the identity of this fast, feisty edge rusher and looked him up. It was Kechaun Bennett, a transfer from Michigan making his first start as a Bruin. Later, Morales watched No. 3 in coverage and commenced another search. It was defensive back Robert Stafford III, a transfer from Miami (Fla.)."
"It's hard to be a UCLA fan these days for reasons that go beyond the team's 0-2 record. Few recognize more than a handful of names on a roster laden with 57 new players, including 37 transfers in their first season with the team. The days of starting lineups rife with Bruins who have been in the program for two or three years may have gone the way of New Year's Day bowl appearances for a team stuck in a decade-long funk."
"Similar bewilderment was playing out in the San Diego living room of Ted Zeigler. Watching the game on his 65-inch television, the self-described hardcore Bruins fan also had the roster pulled up on his phone for ready reference, alternating between one screen and the other. "This adds another dimension to watching the game that I wasn't looking for," Zeigler said. "I just feel disinterested.""
UCLA's current roster features 57 new players, including 37 transfers, creating widespread unfamiliarity among the fan base. Multiple starters are transfers across positions, from edge rusher Kechaun Bennett to defensive back Robert Stafford III and several offensive linemen. Fans are repeatedly pulling up rosters during games to identify players, which reduces emotional connection and alters viewing habits. The influx of transfers reflects the era of unlimited movement in college football and has supplanted multi-year internal development. The roster turnover coincides with on-field struggles and contributes to diminished fan engagement and a sense of lost continuity.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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