Bob Chesney has spent the offseason reworking UCLA’s wide receiver group, and one name is starting to separate himself from the pack: Brian Rowe Jr.
The Bruins needed the overhaul. Last season’s receiver production was thin, with sophomore Kwazi Gilmer leading the team with 535 receiving yards, 50 catches and four touchdowns.
Mikey Matthews and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala were next in line, combining for 670 yards on 58 receptions and five touchdowns. With Matthews the only returning piece, Chesney went to the transfer portal and added bodies and competition, bringing in Marcus Harris, Semaj Morgan and Aidan Mizell for depth, while Leland Smith and Landon Ellis arrived to push for starting jobs.
Rowe is the receiver who may end up standing above all of them.
A month ago, the focus was on Smith and Ellis as contenders for the top spot in the room. Rowe, who transferred to UCLA after his freshman year at South Carolina, belongs in that same conversation - and maybe even ahead of them. He entered college as a 4-star prospect, then spent his first season in Columbia on a team that struggled from start to finish.
South Carolina went 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the SEC, and Rowe’s numbers reflected both the team’s uneven year and the learning curve that comes with being a true freshman. He finished with 19 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown.
Still, there were flashes. He posted two games with more than 40 receiving yards, including a four-catch, 45-yard outing against No.
7 Ole Miss and a three-catch, 50-yard, one-touchdown performance against No. 23 Missouri.
That kind of production doesn’t jump off the page, but the tools clearly did enough to catch UCLA’s attention.
Since arriving in Westwood, Rowe has drawn strong reviews from the coaching staff, especially offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy. Ahead of the Bruins’ spring game, Kennedy pointed to Rowe’s ability to win on the outside in different ways.
“Today, he had an unbelievable catch...” Kennedy said.
“... His quickness that you can see, the way he kind of can push and have certain break points.
He's done a great job with that. We’ve moved him around.
That's what we do with all of our receivers to see who can handle certain things. He still needs to grow in that aspect, but, as I said, it's still early on for him."
For Nico Iamaleava, Rowe looks like the kind of receiver who can matter in multiple spots. He can stretch the field, run the route tree and give UCLA a real 50-50 option in the red zone.
Smith and Ellis bring pieces of that profile, but Rowe appears to bring the full package. That’s why he’s a strong candidate to become the Bruins’ breakout receiver in 2026.
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