UCLA’s offensive line is still a work in progress, but the Bruins are starting to see the shape of something sturdier.
That matters. After a 2025 season in which UCLA finished 12th in the Big Ten in sacks allowed and rushing yards per game, the front five got a major reset. Four returners remain in Eugene Brooks, Sam Yoon, Jensen Somerville and Julian Armella, while James Madison transfers Riley Robell and Carter Sweazie have arrived to help steady the group and teach coach Bob Chesney’s system.
Chesney said the unit is moving in the right direction as camp rolls on.
“They continue to get better every single day and we’re starting to find some depth in there as well,” Chesney said after Monday’s practice.
The center spot has already been part of the competition. Robell opened fall camp as the starter, but a sprained MCL has sidelined him for the past week. Chesney called the injury “really nothing at all,” and said Robell should be back “shortly.”
With Robell out, Yoon has stepped in at center. That battle carries a layer of familiarity on both sides: Yoon has already played with quarterback Nico Iamaleava, while Robell knows Chesney’s offense inside and out.
For Robell, though, the challenge isn’t just the playbook. He still has to build timing and trust with Iamaleava to lock down the job.
Sweazie has been in a different fight altogether, working for a starting guard role alongside Armella and Brooks. Even though Robell and Sweazie haven’t logged much time next to each other in UCLA camp, Chesney said their background together at JMU gives Sweazie a real edge.
“Not only have (Carter and Riley) played together in this same system, with this same language, but at the same time, the way that we’re going to communicate is going to be similar. To have a guy that played with you for a year adds a lot of confidence in their communication,” Chesney said.
The interior line has caught Chesney’s eye in another way, too. UCLA has been able to spring several runs through the A-gap, a sign the middle of the line is starting to move people.
Out on the edge, one tackle spot has been settled all camp, and the other remains unsettled because of health rather than performance.
Hall Schmidt, who started all 12 games at Boise State in 2024 while Ashton Jeanty piled up 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, redshirted in 2025 before transferring to UCLA. Chesney has liked what he has seen from him.
“Hall’s solid. He’s just an overall solid guy that understands it,” Chesney said.
“Does a great job playing this game. Plays with an edge.”
The other tackle situation has been less smooth. Jordan Davis, one of UCLA’s top transfers and a player granted a sixth year of eligibility, has been held out after initially dealing with dehydration. Chesney said Davis was dressed in pads on Monday, but Somerville kept turning heads.
“He’s imposing,” Chesney said of Somerville. “He’s tough. He just continues to grow in his confidence.”
Somerville played mostly on special teams last season, but he could end up being an important depth piece for UCLA up front.
There are still a few health updates to track as the Bruins move closer to their Sept. 5 opener at Cal. Davis and Robell are expected back before then, and the same timeline should apply to safety Cole Martin and wide receiver Aidan Mizell.
Martin has been working through what Chesney described as “a muscle thing,” and the coach said, “You watch him move around, he’s really close right now.”
Mizell, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury, was back on the field Monday and took part in punt return drills during the media viewing period.
Monday was UCLA’s first open practice since the team returned from its bonding week in Irvine, where Chesney said, “the empathy and the connection continued to grow in the program.” The Bruins will hold their official media day on Wednesday as game week gets closer.
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