Bob Chesney’s first UCLA roster was always going to leave the freshmen fighting an uphill battle.
With 40 transfers arriving in Westwood - including a heavy influx from James Madison - the depth chart is packed, and that makes year-one opportunities for UCLA’s 2026 freshman class hard to come by. For most of these newcomers, simply getting on the field looks like a long shot right now.
One freshman, though, has started to make some noise. Defensive back CJ Lavender appears to be separating himself from the pack.
A 3-star recruit from Mater Dei, Lavender was ranked by 247Sports as the 73rd safety in the country coming out of high school. Reports out of UCLA’s fall camp have consistently pointed to him as one of the top freshmen in the group, and he’s now on the radar as a player who could potentially see action this season.
Beyond Lavender, though, it’s tough to point to a true “riser” or “faller” among the freshmen. The issue isn’t that the class is struggling; it’s that the roster around them is loaded with veterans and transfers brought in to compete right away. That leaves very little room for an inexperienced player to surge into a meaningful role.
In that sense, UCLA is not the kind of team where you’d expect a wave of young, untested freshmen to crack the lineup early. Chesney’s transfer-heavy approach means those spots are already being battled over by players with multiple seasons of college football behind them.
That might actually work out fine for the Bruins in the long run. There’s no need to force freshmen onto the field if older, more experienced options are ahead of them. For now, major roles don’t appear to be in the cards for UCLA’s first-year players.
If Chesney continues building the program the way he wants, some of these freshmen could grow into important pieces by the time they reach their sophomore, junior, or senior seasons. That kind of development matters, and UCLA could be a strong place for these young players to grow into the roles they’re eventually aiming for.
In Other News...
UCLA Fall Camp Is Already Turning Up The Heat On Nico Iamaleava
UCLAs first week of fall camp has already offered a pretty clear early snapshot of where things stand on offense. Offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy has drawn positive reviews, and the Bruins have also seen encouraging work from running backs Wayne Knight, Jaivian Thomas and Anthony Woods, along with wide receivers Landon Ellis, Mikey Matthews and Brian Rowe Jr. With camp still in its early stages and practice access limited, it is only a first look, but there is enough there to suggest the group around the quarterback is giving the staff something to work with.
The bigger question, of course, is how Nico Iamaleava settles in as the pace and pressure build. The early assessment from camp is that he has not yet fully met expectations, which makes the next stretch of practices worth watching closely for UCLA. Fall camp can change fast once the pads stay on and the reps stack up, and the Bruins still have plenty of time for the offense to sort itself out before the real evaluations begin. [Read more 🡒]
Aidan Mizell Is Forcing His Way Into UCLA's Receiver Battle
Aidan Mizell has been one of the more interesting names to watch in UCLAs fall camp, and not just because he arrived as a Florida transfer looking for a fresh start. The receiver has shown good chemistry with Nico Iamaleava and has put himself in the mix for a starting job, which matters for a Bruins passing game that could use a reliable vertical option. His college path has already been slowed by injuries, so every healthy stretch carries a little more weight than it might for someone with a cleaner rsum.
Mizells skill set gives UCLA something it does not want to waste. If he can stay on the field, he has a chance to become a legitimate deep threat and add another layer to the offense as the receiver battle tightens. He has already spent some practice time on the sideline this camp, which makes the next few weeks especially important, but the staff does not appear to be sounding alarms. For now, the intrigue is whether his camp momentum can survive long enough to matter when the lineup decisions start getting real. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Biggest O-Line Battle Could Decide Early Stability Up Front
UCLAs fall camp has turned one of its most important preseason questions into a three-man race, with the interior of the offensive line still taking shape as practices unfold. The Bruins have been mixing and matching up front, and the competition for two starting guard jobs has quickly emerged as one of the clearest indicators of how settled this group might be when the season opens.
Carter Sweazie, Julian Armella and Eugene Brooks have all worked with the first team, giving the staff a chance to sort through experience and chemistry as much as talent. With fall camp still ongoing and the lineup not yet locked in, the Bruins are left watching a battle that could say plenty about how stable the offense feels early on. [Read more 🡒]