The 8-5 Mountain West champion Boise State Broncos will play the 7-5 UCLA Bruins in the LA Bowl. Here’s a look at some of the NFL Draft talent on display in the bowl game, as well as potential first-round pick Laiatu Latu‘s status for the game.
LA Bowl Prospect Preview
The LA Bowl will pit two of the better college football teams in the western region against one another, with Mountain West champion Boise State taking on Chip Kelly’s UCLA squad.
Neither team will be at full strength for this battle. Both starting quarterbacks — Boise State’s Taylen Green and UCLA’s Dante Moore — have entered the transfer portal, leaving the Broncos with freshman CJ Tiller and the Bruins with Ethan Garbers.
Additionally, UCLA RB Carson Steele has been unable to practice due to an undisclosed injury.
UCLA Bruins NFL Draft Prospects
Laiatu Latu, EDGE
Latu, the 6’5″, 260-pound edge-rushing savant who accumulated 13 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss in 2023, will not suit up with the Bruins for the LA Bowl. Instead, he’s declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and gets a head start on his draft prep.
Latu has a Senior Bowl showing on deck, and with his ruthless pass-rush ability and high-level hand usage, he’s viewed as a likely Round 1 pick. His absence will hurt, but UCLA has talent at the position behind him.
Gabriel Murphy, EDGE
One half of the Murphy brothers tandem, Gabriel Murphy was more productive in 2023, with seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss playing alongside Latu in the rotation.
At 6’2″, 238 pounds, the North Texas transfer doesn’t have the size that Latu has, but he’s an exceptional speed rusher who can win against lurching tackles with his bend and natural leverage.
Grayson Murphy, EDGE
Grayson Murphy wasn’t as productive as his brother in 2023, but he’s put up major numbers before. In 2021, when he was at North Texas with his brother, he put up 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Grayson isn’t as nuanced as Gabriel with his hands or with his use of agility and rushing angles. Still, he’s a high-motor defender with a similar athletic makeup — whose speed can be similarly challenging for tackles.
J. Michael Sturdivant, WR
Returning to school is more likely than a 2024 NFL Draft declaration for J. Michael Sturdivant. But his production dip in 2023 aside, Sturdivant is well-known in NFL evaluator circles as a budding size-speed threat on the West Coast.
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At 6’3″, 200 pounds, Sturvidant is an energetic long-strider who can effortlessly stress defenses vertically, and he has stellar ball tracking ability on the back end.
Boise State NFL Draft Prospects
Ashton Jeanty, RB (2025)
Ashton Jeanty isn’t yet draft-eligible.
But he’s talented enough to tip the scales for Boise State in this game, and he’s sure to be an early-round candidate when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
A first-team All-American at College Football Network, Jeanty racked up 203 carries for 1,262 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023 and also added 39 catches for 552 yards and five scores through the air.
At 5’9″, 210 pounds, Jeanty is a tough, physical runner who glides in space with easy speed. And with his vision and versatility, he’s more than your average volume RB.
George Holani, RB
Jeanty is the Broncos’ lead back, but George Holani is the rotation veteran who could field some 2024 NFL Draft appeal as a priority free agent.
Despite missing six games in 2023, Holani managed to amass 610 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Across his five-year career, he’s eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark twice and has run for 3,458 yards while catching 87 passes for 732 yards and eight scores.
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Holani isn’t as explosive as Jeanty, but he’s a good utility back at 5’11”, 210 pounds, who can take volume, pass protect, and receive out of the backfield.
Ahmed Hassanein, DL
Though he likely won’t declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, Ahmed Hassanein is a sleeper to watch in this game.
The 6’3″, 270-pound junior defensive lineman, who grew up in Egypt, put up 12.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in 2023. A good showing against UCLA could truly put him on the map.
