Bob Chesney’s first message to UCLA’s football team in fall camp is clear: put every piece of the roster under pressure now so September doesn’t bring any surprises.
“Test everything in fire,” the Bruins’ first-year head coach said.
That approach showed up Friday during UCLA’s second fall practice, when the staff kept moving players around and mixing personnel. James Madison transfer DJ Barksdale, who spent the last two seasons mostly at slot cornerback, worked on the outside during the media viewing period. Cole Martin, who played safety for UCLA last season, dropped into the slot with Malik Hartford behind him.
For Rodrick Pleasant, that kind of movement is part of what can make the back end tough to deal with.
“Coach Chesney is a great coach, and he has us move around and do things, and everything’s for a certain reason,” Pleasant said Friday. “The player flexibility, the guys are interchangeable, and we can do things. That’s what’s going to make us special in the back end.”
Pleasant, a holdover from the DeShaun Foster era, spent spring practices limited to individual work while coming back from a shoulder injury. Even then, he said he was learning the new defense by helping others through it.
“If you can coach it, you can play it,” he said Friday.
He also described Chesney’s defensive system as “aggressive,” and with UCLA’s defensive backs room as deep as it is, the expectation is that everyone needs to understand how to attack from different spots.
Hartford, the Ohio State transfer, was in the same boat during spring while recovering from a shoulder injury. Chesney was glad to finally have him back in the mix this week.
“I’m impressed by the way he controls the field and the leadership he has; the knowledge that he has and the demand he puts on other people,” Chesney said Thursday. “He knows his stuff inside and out.”
The offense was in evaluation mode too. UCLA worked through 12- and 11-personnel during the media viewing window, giving the staff a chance to see how different groupings look in real time.
Brayden Loftin and Josh Phifer lined up inside wideouts Aiden Mizell and Mikey Matthews in the 12-personnel look. Mizell got loose on a deep seam route, but Iamaleava overthrew him. On the next snap, Iamaleava found Phifer on an in-breaking route.
Iamaleava said he feels “great” about 12-personnel.
“Twelve-personnel gives a lot of problems as far as defense looks,” Iamaleava said Friday. “I think there’s a lot more potential that we can get out of the 12-personnel.”
UCLA also worked in 11-personnel, with Brian Rowe Jr. lining up on the outside.
At running back, the Bruins rotated Jaivian Thomas and Wayne Knight. Thomas had a carry up the middle during 11-on-11 work, while Knight handled handoffs during individual drills.
Landon Ellis did not take part in the 11-on-11 periods open to the media, though he was on the field Thursday and went through individual positional work Friday.
For Iamaleava, the biggest takeaway from his time in Westwood has been how much he’s grown into a leadership role. Pleasant said the quarterback has brought teammates with him through that process.
“He said, ‘he’s bringing people with him,’” Pleasant said. “That’s been the most impressive thing about it. He’s bringing guys along, making guys better day in and day out, and he’s holding dudes accountable.”
Iamaleava helped organize player-only practices over the summer through group chats, and the coaching staff has repeatedly praised the way he’s set the tone. He also keeps the energy up with constant trash talk aimed at his defensive teammates.
“My job this year is to lead,” Iamaleava said. “Lead a group of young men, and man, I’m just trying to get better, myself, at that every day.
Elevating other leaders that are on our team to be more vocal out there. You know, we talk a lot of trash, and I think that gets them more riled up.
So, yeah, it’s been fun.”
In Other News...
Bob Chesney Faces UCLA's Real Test Much Sooner Than Fans Wanted
Bob Chesney arrives at UCLA with a resume that suggests he can bring order quickly, which is exactly what the Bruins are hoping for after moving on from DeShaun Foster. His track record at James Madison, where he guided the program to a Sun Belt Conference title and the College Football Playoff, is part of why UCLA believes it found a coach capable of setting a firmer standard. The early signs of that transition are already visible, with Bruins roster additions coming from Chesneys former program and a core of key returning players giving the new staff something tangible to work with.
The problem is that the schedule does not appear interested in easing him in. UCLAs next phase under Chesney is going to ask for accountability and discipline immediately, not after a long runway, and that makes the first real stretch of games feel like a test of both the new culture and the rosters willingness to buy in. For a program trying to reset its footing, the challenge is less about whether Chesney has a plan and more about how quickly the Bruins can prove they can live up to it. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Iamaleava Faces A Big UCLA Test In Year Two
Nico Iamaleava is approaching his second season at UCLA with a clear priority: making his game more consistent, from the way he prepares to the way he performs once the ball is snapped. The quarterback said he feels more comfortable in the offense now, and he pointed to head coach Bob Chesneys steady approach as a major reason his development has felt more natural this summer.
Fall camp has become the next important checkpoint for Iamaleava, who believes his own progress will be tied closely to how far the Bruins can go this season. For a team looking to build around its quarterback, the early signs of comfort and control matter, but the real test is still ahead as the season starts to demand those habits every week. [Read more 🡒]