UCLA’s 2026 football roster looks nothing like the one Bob Chesney inherited, and that’s especially true in the linebacker room.
Chesney has spent his first offseason in Westwood remaking the team through the transfer portal, landing the 11th-ranked portal class according to Rivals and bringing in 42 new faces. The high school group, though, was a different story. Rivals ranked that class 65th, and UCLA didn’t sign a single four- or five-star prospect.
Even so, there’s a freshman who could carve out a role sooner than expected: Malaki Soliai-Tui.
A three-star linebacker from Kahuku High School in Hawaii, Tui checks in outside the top 1000 nationally at No. 1,385. He’s the 130th-ranked linebacker in the 2026 class and the 10th-ranked player in Hawaii.
His senior season gave him plenty of momentum. Tui posted 56.5 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception while helping Kahuku to an 8-4 record. That production earned him a spot in the 2026 Polynesian Bowl and an all-state selection.
What makes Tui interesting is the range he brings. He’s not just a downhill tackler or a run defender.
He can cover, he can close space in the open field, and he can get after the quarterback when needed. He looks like the kind of defensive player who can be moved around and trusted in different situations.
That versatility fits what UCLA is building. The Bruins’ linebacker group has already changed a lot, with Scott Taylor back from last year’s team and Chesney also bringing in Samuel Omosigho from Oklahoma and Drew Spinogatti from James Madison.
Chesney wants linebackers who can do more than one job, and Tui fits that mold. If he handles fall camp well, he has a real chance to become a useful depth piece as a freshman and work his way onto the field.
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The class is headlined by JuJu Johnson, George Toia and Jerry Outhouse Jr., which is the sort of name recognition Bruins fans have been waiting to see attached to a recruiting class. The catch, of course, is whether UCLA can keep those commitments together all the way to signing day, and that is where the conversation turns back to the field. To keep this momentum from becoming another what-if, the Bruins need wins soon enough to make those recruits believe the program is headed somewhere worth staying with. [Read more 🡒]
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Wayne Knight is the name that jumps out first, because UCLA has not had a true 1,000-yard rusher in a while and his arrival gives the offense a clear centerpiece. On the other side of the ball, West is expected to help stabilize a defensive front that needed more presence, and the broader picture is just as important - this is a roster with real competition at almost every spot, which is a very different place for a team trying to climb back into relevance. [Read more 🡒]