UCLA’s 2026 fall camp is set to give fans their first real look at Bob Chesney’s program, and the Bruins have now laid out the full roadmap.
The opening whistle comes on August 6 at the Wasserman Football Center, with camp scheduled to continue through August 28. UCLA will break up the month with a stretch of practices from August 10-14 in Irvine at the Great Park Sports Complex before heading back to Westwood to wrap things up.
The Bruins also put their media calendar on the board, with UCLA Football Media Day set for August 19.
There’s plenty riding on these weeks for a team that looks very different heading into 2026. Chesney is beginning his first training camp as UCLA’s head coach, and the buzz around the program is obvious. He brought over a large group of players and staff from James Madison, which means this camp is about more than just getting reps - it’s about building chemistry fast.
That task lands squarely on Nico Iamaleava. The redshirt junior arrives as a veteran in one sense, but also as the new face in a new system with new coaches and new weapons around him. Fall camp should be his first chance to settle in and start making this offense feel like home.
And he won’t be alone in that. UCLA is heading into a camp full of depth chart movement, injury updates, and position battles that should sort themselves out over the next few weeks. By the end of August, the Bruins should have a much clearer picture of who has separated from the pack.
More than anything, this is the first inside look at Chesney’s version of UCLA football. A full roster and staff overhaul is rare in the Power Four, but that’s exactly what the Bruins are working through, and camp will show how quickly that new identity starts to take shape.
Once camp ends, attention turns straight to September 5, when UCLA opens the season on the road against Cal.
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