UCLA enters Bob Chesney’s first season with a roster that barely resembles last year’s group, and that alone makes the Bruins one of the more intriguing teams to watch. Chesney has rebuilt fast, bringing in 42 transfer additions and 20 freshmen from the 2026 high school class, and the scale of that turnover is a big reason expectations are being kept in check.
Still, there are clear reasons to think UCLA can beat the noise around it.
Start with the staff. Chesney arrives after a huge year at James Madison, where he guided the Dukes to the Sun Belt Conference Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance.
He also brings offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler, both of whom helped their units finish in the top 20 nationally. That kind of continuity matters, especially when some playoff teams last season didn’t have a top-20 offense or defense at all.
The biggest on-field upgrade may be up front on defense. UCLA’s line was a disaster a year ago, finishing last in the Big Ten with 10 sacks and 40 tackles for loss.
Linebacker Jalen Woods led the team with just 1.5 sacks. Chesney attacked that weakness in the portal by landing Sahir West, his top pass rusher from James Madison, after West posted seven sacks last season.
Aiden Gobaira, Ryan McCulloch, and Darold DeNgohe also join the mix, giving the Bruins more juice off the edge and more help against the run.
The secondary, meanwhile, was already the one bright spot. Cole Martin, Rodrick Pleasant, and Scooter Jackson all turned in strong seasons last year and would draw more attention if they played on a better team.
Chesney didn’t leave that group alone, either. DJ Barksdale is in to handle the nickel spot, Tao Johnson gives Martin a safety partner, and Dante Lovett Jr. adds depth behind Jackson and Pleasant.
That should make the Bruins one of the better secondaries in the Big Ten.
There’s also reason to think the run game can look much different. UCLA’s rushing attack struggled badly last season, with Nico Iamaleava leading the team on the ground with 505 yards and four touchdowns.
Among the backs, sixth-year senior Jalen Berger topped the group with 346 yards on 81 carries and two scores. This year, Wayne Knight steps in as the lead back after a massive season at James Madison, where he ran for 1,373 yards on 207 carries and nine touchdowns.
He also brings value as a receiver, adding 397 receiving yards and a touchdown.
And then there’s Iamaleava himself. His first season at UCLA did not go the way anyone wanted, as he finished with 1,928 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions after transferring from Tennessee.
The chatter around him has only gotten louder, with plenty of people saying he never should have left Tennessee and calling him a “bust." But this season, he has a coach who built the roster around him and put him in the best position to succeed.
In Other News...
UCLA May Have Finally Found Nico Iamaleava's No. 1 Target
UCLAs receiver room has been one of the biggest questions around Nico Iamaleava, and Bob Chesney has spent the offseason trying to answer it by adding transfer help. The Bruins needed more proven options on the outside, and spring practice has started to show which newcomers might be ready to step into meaningful roles.
One player who has clearly caught the staffs attention is Brian Rowe Jr., with offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy pointing to his versatility and the way he has handled the spring workload. He is part of a crowded mix of transfer and returning receivers all trying to carve out a place in the offense, but the early signs suggest UCLA may have at least one target emerging for Iamaleava as the Bruins keep sorting out who can separate in a rebuilt group. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Fall Camp Outlook Suddenly Rests On One Position Group
Bob Chesney has spent the offseason remaking UCLAs roster for 2026, and the scale of the turnover is hard to miss. With 42 transfer additions and 20 freshmen coming in, the Bruins have new faces all over the depth chart, and the early read on the roster is that several groups should look noticeably stronger, especially up front on both lines, at receiver and in the secondary.
Even with that influx of help, fall camp still seems to hinge on one spot more than any other. The quarterback room remains the biggest question, and how that group settles in will shape how much those upgraded pieces around it can matter once the season starts. For a team that has clearly invested in building more balance and more depth, the next few weeks will go a long way toward showing whether the offense can finally match the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Assistant Just Gave Bruins Fans Another Reason To Trust Europe
Nemanja Yogi Jovanovic keeps giving UCLA a useful reminder that the Bruins reach does not stop at the Pacific. The assistant coach, who also runs Serbias U20 national team, just guided his country to a silver medal at the U20 European Championships, another sign that his connections and credibility overseas are more than a nice extra on the staff. Since joining UCLA in 2023, he has brought a deep background in both the U.S. and Europe, and that blend has become part of the programs broader recruiting pitch.
For UCLA, the value goes beyond one summer tournament run. Jovanovics profile helps the Bruins stay in the conversation with international prospects, especially in Serbia, where the program has already been linked with players such as Nikola Kusturica, Filip Jovic and Sergej Macura. A coach who can build trust abroad while working inside the college game is a real asset, and UCLA appears to be leaning into that advantage more than ever. [Read more 🡒]