UCLA’s defense is walking into 2026 with a very different look, and the numbers tell the story fast. After last season’s rough finish - 11th in the Big Ten in total tackles and dead last in tackles for loss, sacks, interceptions, and pass breakups - the Bruins have rebuilt heavily through the transfer portal under head coach Bob Chesney.
Chesney didn’t ease into the job. He added 43 transfers, including 11 from his previous stop at James Madison, and that group brings real statistical punch.
The latest addition, linebacker Trent Hendrick, only strengthens the picture. Hendrick was JMU’s top tackler last season and earned Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
That matters because UCLA was thin on proven production coming back. Only 13 defensive players who recorded at least one tackle last season returned, and that group accounts for 278 of the Bruins’ 780 total tackles - just 35.6 percent.
Cole Martin led the returning group with 68 tackles. The transfer class, though, brings 629 tackles on its own, and the combined total jumps to 907.
Hendrick headlines that influx with 106 tackles. Drew Spinogatti, another JMU linebacker, adds 55, Utah safety Tao Johnson brings 51, and projected starting linebacker Sammy Omosigho comes in with 50. It’s a much deeper, much more proven group than what UCLA had a year ago.
The same pattern shows up in the backfield disruption numbers. UCLA finished 2025 with only 40.0 tackles for loss, which placed it last in the Big Ten and last in the country.
Returning players account for just 11.5 of those. The transfers, on the other hand, bring 56.0 TFLs, with 11 of the 20 newcomers having recorded at least one tackle for loss last season.
Four transfers stand out in that category: defensive end Sahir West with 14.0, defensive end Aiden Gobeira with 7.5, Spinogatti with 7.0, and Hendrick with 7.0.
Sacks were just as bleak a year ago. UCLA finished with 10, and only 2.0 of those sacks are back on the roster from returning players.
West alone had 7.0 last season, which is a huge boost in itself. The transfer group adds 19.0 sacks overall, including 5.0 from linebacker Dallin Havea, 4.0 from Gobeira, and 3.0 from Hendrick - all of which came in one game last season.
There’s also help in the turnover department. UCLA intercepted only four passes in 2025, but 75 percent of that production returns with Martin’s one interception and Scooter Jackson’s two. The transfers add another five interceptions, led by Johnson and Derrick Barksdale, who had two apiece at Utah and JMU, respectively.
Pass breakups were better than the rest of the defense’s 2025 stat sheet, but still far from elite. UCLA totaled 38, which tied for 86th nationally.
Half of that production is back, with 19 pass breakups returning. Rodrick Pleasant had seven, Jalen Woods had four, Martin had three, and Jackson had three.
And once again, the portal class adds serious volume. UCLA’s incoming defenders combined for 50 pass breakups last season, giving the Bruins a total of 69 when you combine returning and added production.
In Other News...
UCLA Camp Is Already Changing How Bruins Build The Next Roster
UCLAs 2026 fall camp is doing more than setting a depth chart for the season ahead. For Bob Chesney and his staff, it has become an early-look audit of the roster, a chance to see how the new pieces fit and where the Bruins may need to keep building as they look toward the 2027 recruiting class.
The evaluation is shaping more than just practice reps, too. Camp relationships can matter when playing time decisions come around, and the same conversations helping coaches sort out positional fit are also expected to influence where UCLA turns next in recruiting. For a program trying to stay ahead of its own roster cycle, the work happening now could echo well beyond this fall. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Tight End Battle Could Reveal The Bruins Offensive Identity
The Bruins tight end room has become one of the more interesting spots to watch as camp unfolds, thanks to a transfer battle between Josh Phifer and Brayden Loftin. Both arrived with a chance to carve out a real role, but they bring different skill sets to the table, which is why the competition says as much about the offense as it does about the players themselves. Phifer has drawn attention for his blocking and the way he fits with teammates, while Loftin looks like the more natural receiving option.
For Chip Kelly, the choice may ultimately help define what UCLA wants to be this fall. A run-heavy approach would seem to play to Phifers strengths, while a more pass-oriented attack would open the door for Loftin to become the clearer fit. Either way, the Bruins have a genuine decision to make, and the winner could end up telling the story of how this offense plans to function when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Heads Into Week 1 With One Huge Question Up Front
With the season opener against California closing in, UCLAs preseason camp has offered Bob Chesney and Dean Kennedy a first real look at how the Bruins are coming together under a new coaching staff. The progress has shown up in several places, from better offensive rhythm to clearer player leadership, and the staff has also liked what it has seen from quarterback Nico Iamaleava and freshman defensive back CJ Lavender.
The concern still hanging over the group is up front, where the Bruins are trying to build offensive line depth while working through injuries. It is the kind of issue that can quietly shape September as much as any headline-making position battle, and for UCLA it leaves one of the biggest early-season questions unresolved heading into Week 1. [Read more 🡒]