IRVINE - UCLA’s latest preseason stop is about more than reps. Bob Chesney wanted the Bruins to feel like they were stepping into an “away game,” and Orange County gave him the setting he was looking for.
With 63 newcomers on the roster, Chesney picked Great Park in Irvine as the backdrop for a stretch of training meant to sharpen the team on the field and pull it closer together off it. The sprawling complex, which once hosted the U.S. soccer team during the World Cup, has become UCLA’s temporary base through Friday. The Bruins are staying at an Orange County hotel, practicing at Great Park and spending time in the surrounding area as they keep building toward the 2026 season.
“I like being out here,” Chesney said Tuesday. “I think this was a big part of it, was us just continuing to build connectivity, reteach our systems, and then just continue to develop on a day-to-day basis.”
UCLA practiced at Great Park on Monday and Tuesday, then gets Wednesday off before returning to the field for two more sessions and heading back to Westwood next week. The trip is designed to serve two purposes: give players a chance to bond and give the Bruins a chance to connect with fans in Orange County.
Tuesday’s work looked familiar, but the edge was a little sharper. During a basic get-off drill, safeties coach Anthony DiMichele stopped Dante Lovett and Drew Spinogatti for lining up incorrectly.
A few players were also held out. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis missed practice because of dehydration, while offensive lineman Riley Robell and wide receiver Aidan Mizell sat out as a precaution, Chesney said. He said he didn’t want to take any chances before the team’s true day off.
That off day will have a little structure, then plenty of freedom. Chesney said the players will sleep in before the team heads to the beach for a cookout. After that, the rest of the day is theirs.
“There’s no meetings, there’s nothing,” Chesney said. “There’ll be a lot of time to get a chance to spend together.”
Chesney has built around this kind of setup before. He used camps to strengthen team chemistry during his time at James Madison and Holy Cross, and on Saturday, defensive tackle Darold DeNgohe - who played for Chesney at JMU - pointed to the value Chesney puts on family. That’s the point of these outings: to tighten the group.
UCLA also added a new voice to the mix Monday, announcing former NFL quarterback Derek Carr as a special advisor to the head coach. Carr, who played for the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints, has a connection to UCLA’s staff through Derrick Yray, the Bruins’ general manager, after the two shared a dorm hall at Fresno State.
Chesney said Carr has already been around practices since spring camp, though his schedule will be limited as he balances coaching with life as a father of a newborn. He’ll be on the sideline during games and, at practice, will mostly work with the quarterbacks.
“This ability to communicate with the quarterback in real time and in hostile environments is what he brings,” Chesney said. “The pressure that you feel back there as a quarterback - I think it’s pretty awesome to hear a different guy’s perspective that’s done it a very long time at the highest level.”
Carr described his role on his podcast, “Home Grown with David & Derek Carr.”
“I’m here just as a resource to help,” Carr said on his podcast “Home Grown with David & Derek Carr.” “I’m not here to overstep a coach, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator. I’m just here as an old veteran in the room.”
His focus will be on Nico Iamaleava, and Carr didn’t hide his enthusiasm for the quarterback.
“Nico, man, this guy - whoever gets his hands on him at the next level. Woohoo!”
Carr said on the podcast. “He walks in 6-6, 230 pounds … we go out to practice.
We’re on the right hash. He throws a cover-0, deep out to the field, the ball doesn’t leave eye height.
He just handed it to the kid.”
Carr said Iamaleava has already been in touch with him with questions.
“He is 100% coachable,” Carr said. “He’s the greatest kid.”
For UCLA, Carr’s involvement adds another steady presence around Iamaleava, who has found some offseason stability. Chesney said Carr will be around regularly while the Bruins are in Irvine because he has a place in Newport Beach.
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