A week into UCLA fall camp, the loudest buzz isn’t centered on a player at all. It’s around offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, who has quickly emerged as the biggest winner from the opening stretch of practice.
That comes as the reports keep piling up on a Bruins offense that looks like it has plenty to work with. The running back room has been the headliner so far, with Wayne Knight, Jaivian Thomas, and Anthony Woods drawing real attention early in camp.
The receiver group has also made its presence felt. James Madison transfer Landon Ellis, Mikey Matthews, and Brian Rowe Jr. appear to be taking the first-team reps, but there’s enough talent in that room that the race for snaps still feels wide open.
For Kennedy, that kind of depth is exactly what you want to see. It gives him room to be creative, and it also puts him in a familiar Chesney-style offense that he already knows well.
As for the “loser” label, that one lands on Nico Iamaleava, though only in the sense that he has the most ground to cover. It’s not a knock so much as a reflection of where he stands right now versus where the Bruins need him to be by the end of camp.
There have been reports that Iamaleava opened slowly, but he’s also been handed a major help in Derek Carr, who should give him a chance to get where he needs to be before the season starts.
Even with that, it’s still early enough that calling anyone a true loser feels like a stretch. With so little practice information available, Iamaleava is simply the player with the biggest gap to close from here.
In Other News...
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 🡒]