Best UCLA Defensive Football Players Since 2010

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UCLA football's defense has fallen on hard times in recent seasons, but its new staff will be doing everything it can to fix it.

There are plenty of Bruin success stories from past defenses that can help inspire the next wave to be great, especially looking at the 2010s and the 2020s so far.

Here are a few of the best UCLA defenders by position in that time frame.

Defensive Tackle: Kenny Clark

Before he was a game-wrecking All-Pro defensive tackle in the NFL, Clark was doing the same for UCLA. In three years with the Bruins, he collected 155 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and seven sacks, and most of those came during his final collegiate season in 2015.

That season, Clark was named a Third Team AP All-American and First Team All-PAC-12 player. He also finished among UCLA's leaders in tackles, sacks, and TFLs during both his seasons as a starter, making 29 consecutive starts.

Defensive End: Laiatu Latu

Latu easily takes the title of the best defensive end for the Bruins over the last 16 years. After transferring from Washington after one season, he excelled in the UCLA defense. His big season came in 2023, when he had 13 sacks, led the NCAA and the PAC-12 in TFLs, won the Vince Lombardi Award and the Ted Hendrickson Award, and was named PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American.

The defensive end finished his college career with 24 sacks, the 13th-most in the PAC-12, and became a top-15 NFL draft pick.

Linebacker: Anthony Barr/Eric Kendricks

There are some discrepancies here between on-the-ball and off-the-ball linebackers. On the ball, Anthony Barr runs away with this due to his impressive two-year run after switching from running back and wide receiver. In just two seasons, Barr amassed 148 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, and 23.5 sacks — finishing his career 14th in sacks in the PAC-12 and with the 25th-most forced fumbles.

However, as an off-the-ball linebacker, Kendricks may have been even more impressive. He does have a longer history, with four years of contributions from the position, but he has made the most of his career. Like Barr, Kendricks also won the Lott IMPACT Trophy, but he added a Butkus Award and finished his career among the top 10 players in NCAA history and top three players in PAC-12 history in solo and total tackles.

Strangely enough, Barr and Kendricks were both drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and became All-Pro NFL players.

Cornerback: Darnay Holmes

Holmes lands on this list with a slight edge over Fabian Moreau, as the two had very similar careers at UCLA. Both were two-time Honorable Mention All-PAC-12 players with more than 20 passes defended in their careers, but Holmes had a bigger impact when it came to turnovers, which is a key difference in the secondary.

During his three seasons at UCLA, Holmes obtained eight interceptions and forced three fumbles, becoming an eventual fourth-round draft pick.

Safety: Rahim Moore

Moore barely qualifies for this list, playing his third and final season for the Bruins in 2010-11, but he is easily the best UCLA safety of the last 16 years. During his three-year tenure in Westwood, he made 119 tackles and came up with 14 interceptions, among the highest totals in program history.

He was also a First Team All-American and a Thorpe Award semifinalist (best defensive back in the country) in 2010 after starting all 12 games for the Bruins. But Moore's biggest accomplishment was leading the NCAA and the PAC-12 Conference in interceptions in 2009, helping him finish with the 17th-most interceptions in a PAC-12 career and cementing his status as a second-round NFL Draft pick.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as Best UCLA Defensive Football Players Since 2010.

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