First Player to Practice with NFL Joins UCLA | UCLA Bruins Football News

Trent Hendrick just shattered college football norms by becoming the first player to practice with an NFL team before joining UCLA — and he’s already ready to lead the Bruins into their season opener. After going undrafted, he trained with the Browns and Chiefs, then leveraged a historic court order granting 16 players a fifth year of eligibility. Coach Bob Chesney calls him a natural leader who embodies the culture, and despite switching his jersey number (from 5 to 51), teammates are thrilled by his transparency and professionalism. His arrival symbolizes how college sports are evolving into a pro pipeline — blurring lines between triple-A and the NFL, while offering athletes unprecedented flexibility. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/297f6caa9a6a99ad