When Bob Chesney took over as UCLA’s new head coach, the assignment on defense was obvious: tear it down and rebuild it.
The Bruins’ 2024 season was the kind of year fans would rather erase. UCLA went 3-9 overall and 3-6 in conference play, and DeShaun Foster was dismissed just three games into his second season after the team dropped its first three.
The problems showed up everywhere on that side of the ball. UCLA held opponents under 200 passing yards per game, but quarterbacks still completed 66% of their throws against the Bruins, which ranked third-worst in the Big Ten. Those same passers also averaged 1.9 passing touchdowns per game.
The run defense was just as shaky. UCLA finished second-to-last in the Big Ten in opponent rushing yards per game at 190 and in yards per rush at 5.2.
That’s why the portal mattered so much for Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler. UCLA went shopping for fixes, and three arrivals stand out as especially important if the Bruins are going to slow anybody down next season.
The biggest issue was pressure. UCLA finished dead last in the Big Ten with only 10 sacks as a team.
Anthony Jones and Jalen Woods tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks apiece, but Jones transferred to Nebraska. Woods is back, though he’s a linebacker, so edge pressure isn’t really his job.
That makes Sahir West a major addition. He followed Chesney from James Madison to UCLA, and he brings the kind of pass-rush production the Bruins badly lacked. West led James Madison with seven sacks last season and played a key role in the Dukes’ Sun Belt Championship run and their College Football Playoff appearance.
UCLA also had to replace production in the middle of the defense. JonJon Vaughns graduated, and Isaiah Chisom entered the transfer portal before ending up at Oklahoma State, leaving a gap among the Bruins’ top tacklers.
Sammy Omosigho arrived from Oklahoma to help fill it. He was one of the top linebackers available in the portal, and his speed and tackling ability give UCLA a much-needed answer against the run.
The secondary got its own overhaul, with Chesney adding six defensive backs - three corners and three safeties. Among them, DJ Barksdale stands out as the new starting nickel cornerback. He was highly productive at James Madison, finishing third in the Sun Belt in both pass breakups and passes defended with 12 and 14.
That kind of coverage help matters because it forces quarterbacks to hold the ball longer, and that gives players like West and the rest of the front a better chance to get home.
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UCLA Is Making Its Boldest NIL Bet Yet On A Teen Prospect
UCLA is preparing to make one of the boldest NIL moves in college basketball, with multiple reports saying the Bruins are expected to bring in Serbian wing Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect who has already been competing in the EuroLeague and drawing attention at the FIBA U17 World Cup. The move would also mark a notable leap from FC Barcelona to Westwood, adding another international layer to a roster-building approach that has become increasingly aggressive in the NIL era.
The connection to UCLAs staff may matter here as much as the money. Assistant Nemanja Jovanovic, who also works with the Serbian national team, gives the Bruins a built-in link to the countrys basketball pipeline, and that kind of familiarity can be decisive when a teenager is weighing a major change in path. For UCLA, the intrigue is not just landing a young talent from Europe, but doing it in a way that signals how far the program is willing to go to chase elite upside. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Recruiting Buzz Just Put Mick Cronins Offseason Under Pressure
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Kusturica is expected to sort through his options after the FIBA U17 World Cup, which leaves UCLA in a waiting game while other major programs stay involved. Kentucky and Gonzaga are also in the mix, so even with the Bruins carrying momentum, Mick Cronins staff still has to navigate a competitive race before anything becomes final. [Read more 🡒]