Bob Chesney has already started reshaping UCLA’s defense, and the early signs point to a group that looks far different from the one Bruins fans watched last season.
That’s not a high bar to clear. UCLA’s defense had its bright spots, but the numbers told the bigger story: the pass rush and run defense were both buried at the bottom of the Big Ten, with just 10 sacks and 40 tackles for loss. The secondary held up better, allowing 196 passing yards per game, but the front seven never consistently made life hard enough on opposing offenses.
With fall camp set to open on August 12th, here’s a projected look at how UCLA’s defense could line up in Week 1.
Up front, Sahir West looks like the kind of edge presence the Bruins have been missing. He was arguably James Madison’s top defender last season and one of the Sun Belt’s most productive pass rushers, finishing with a team-high seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a redshirt freshman.
Inside, Maxwell Roy is a young but intriguing option. He didn’t play a snap as a freshman at Ohio State, then redshirted before transferring to UCLA. Coming out of high school, he was known as a strong run defender with some pass-rush upside, and even if he’s still developing, the Bruins’ thin interior depth makes him a realistic starter.
Ford brings the most experience of the defensive tackles, though his career has been slowed by injuries. A former top-100 recruit in the 2023 class, he hasn’t matched that billing yet, but he did appear in seven games last season at Cal and showed off his athleticism. With the depth chart where it is, he could be in line to start quickly.
The edge group gets another boost from Gobaira, who put together a remarkable return last season after being forced to medically retire following the 2023 college football season and missing all of 2024. Back at James Madison, he tied for third on the team with seven sacks and earned All-Sun Belt Third Team Defense honors.
At linebacker, Omosigho brings the kind of downhill speed and physicality that can change the tone of a defense. Last year at Oklahoma, he posted 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Woods, meanwhile, is the lone projected starter who stayed with UCLA after last season’s mess. He led the Bruins with 47 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and with Omosigho now beside him, his impact should grow.
The move to a 4-2-5 made nickel corner a must, and Chesney found a strong answer in DJ Barksdale. He led James Madison with 12 pass breakups and added two interceptions, giving UCLA a proven piece in the slot.
On the outside, Scooter Jackson is back after standing out last season with a team-high two interceptions and three pass breakups. He should again be the Bruins’ top corner.
Pleasant is projected to line up next to him, and he brings 36 tackles and seven pass deflections to the mix. Together, Jackson and Pleasant give UCLA a cornerback pairing that should stack up well in the Big Ten.
At safety, Johnson looks like the right fit at free safety after a strong year at Utah, where he recorded two interceptions and four pass deflections. He’s projected to line up next to Cole Martin, another returnee who chose to stay in Westwood. Martin finished with 65 tackles, one interception and three pass deflections, and keeping him in the fold was a major win for Chesney.
Taken together, the projected lineup has a very different feel from last season’s unit. The Bruins still have to prove it on the field, but the pieces Chesney has assembled give this defense a much more complete look heading into camp.
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One New Bruin Could Transform UCLAs Defense Right Away
Bob Chesneys first offseason at UCLA has already been defined by volume, with more than 40 transfers arriving as he reshapes the roster for 2026. The biggest question for the Bruins is how quickly that influx can change the defense, especially after bringing in a proven front-line player from James Madison who arrives with the kind of production and recognition that usually travels well.
The challenge now is less about whether he can help and more about how fast he can adjust to a tougher weekly climb in the Big Ten. His redshirt freshman season at James Madison was strong enough to earn a stack of honors and put him on the radar as an immediate-impact addition, but UCLA is counting on him to translate that rsum into disruption against a much deeper level of competition. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Iamaleava Just Weighed In On The Big Ten SEC Debate
At Big Ten media days, Nico Iamaleava offered a perspective that carries a little extra weight because he has lived on both sides of the sports biggest conference argument. UCLAs starting quarterback transferred from Tennessee to the Bruins and has now played in the SEC and the Big Ten, giving him a firsthand look at two leagues that are often measured against each other in every possible way.
Iamaleava said both conferences are strong, physical and stocked with talent, and he pushed back on the notion that one side has a clear edge in depth. From his view, the gap has narrowed as both leagues continue to recruit elite athletes, which makes the debate feel less like a hierarchy than a comparison of two heavyweights. For UCLA, that matters because its quarterback is not just adjusting to a new team, but also framing what the Bruins are walking into every week. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Freshmen Enter Camp With Almost No Margin For Error
UCLAs roster overhaul has left little room for a soft landing, and that is especially true for the freshmen arriving with the rest of the newcomers as fall camp opens. The Bruins brought in 42 transfers and 20 freshmen, and while the class is only 16th in the Big Ten according to Rivals, several first-year players are already being asked to prove where they fit in a program that has been reshaped almost everywhere.
For some of those freshmen, the challenge is less about talent than timing and role. The quarterback room already has a clear backup behind Nico Iamaleava, the receiver group has been rebuilt enough to crowd out early opportunities, and a few other newcomers are being watched closely for whether they belong at their listed spots at all. In a camp like this, the question is not just who can play, but who can answer the one thing UCLA needs from each of them before the depth chart starts to harden. [Read more 🡒]