The 2023 UCLA football roster received a bit of clarity Friday.
Bruins slot receiver/running back Kazmeir Allen announced his intention to enter next spring’s NFL draft and starting right guard Jon Gaines II accepted an invitation to play in next month’s NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
"I’ve been blessed beyond words to live out my childhood dream and play college football at UCLA,” Allen said as part of a graphic posted to his Twitter account. “I’m excited for my next chapter in life and will be forgoing my last year of eligibility and officially declaring for the 2023 NFL draft.”
Allen, a redshirt junior, was second on the team with 49 catches for 403 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he handled 15 carries for 203 yards and two more scores while also serving as the team’s primary kick returner. Allen averaged 24.6 yards per return.
Since the end of the regular season, Allen has not been spotted at practice as UCLA prepares for the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh in El Paso.
Bruins head coach Chip Kelly, in his final media session before the team leaves for Texas, only said Allen was “unavailable.”
UCLA senior running back Zach Charbonnet, the team’s highest-rated draft prospect, has yet to announce whether he will enter the draft or exercise the extra bonus year granted by the NCAA to all players due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charbonnet has continued to dress and participate in practices.
Allen’s decision comes as NFL scouts have continued to place a higher value on smaller, speedy, athletic receivers in recent years. The Tulare, Calif. native is listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds.
Allen, who started nine of the 11 games he appeared in this season, arrived in Westwood as a running back and track athlete in 2019. He posted a 100-meter dash time of 10.61 seconds at the 2019 Pac-12 Conference Championships, placing 19th in the event.
Gaines II’s decision to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, scheduled for Jan. 28 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, also means he will not exercise the option to return for a bonus year.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound right guard was a three-year starter and capped his career with an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection this season. The UCLA offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Gaines II’s selection comes a day after starting center Duke Clemens said he would use his bonus year of eligibility and return for the 2023 season.
As of Friday, only Gaines and starting left guard Atonio Mafi (eligibility) are not expected to return next season. The Bruins received a commitment Dec. 18 from Purdue transfer left guard Spencer Holstege, a graduate student who has two years of eligibility remaining. Holstege started 31 of 32 games for the Boilermakers over three seasons.
