UCLA Bruins 2026 Preview: Chesney and Iamaleava Chase a Quick Turnaround
UCLA slogged through a 3-9 (3-6 Big Ten) 2025 that cost DeShaun Foster his job after an 0-3 start and produced only a brief spark, a home upset of Penn State, before the losing resumed. The rebuild now belongs to Bob Chesney, hired from James Madison with a 132-52 record across 16 seasons and taking his first Power 4 job. He brought his system and much of his program with him: offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler both followed from JMU, as did roughly ten Dukes players and several staffers. The centerpiece stayed put. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava drew heavy portal chatter but chose to remain in Westwood, giving Chesney a proven starter to build a transfer-heavy roster around.
Offense
At 6-6, 215, Nico Iamaleava pairs a big arm with rare size and the knack for creating when a play breaks down. His UCLA debut was uneven after a homecoming that unraveled early, but he completed better than 64 percent of his throws for roughly 1,928 yards with 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and he also led the team in rushing with 505 yards on 4.5 per carry and four scores. A year earlier he threw for 2,618 yards (63.8 percent, 19 to 5) and steered Tennessee to the playoff.
Chesney has raved about his readiness, describing a fearless, physically gifted passer with a strong grasp of the offense who genuinely loves the game. The book on Iamaleava is consistent: he is a dangerous dual threat who is difficult to tackle in space, and the open question for evaluators is whether he can sit in the pocket and carve up defenses when his legs are taken away. His younger brother, true freshman Madden Iamaleava, is the developmental backup.
Iamaleava throws to a rebuilt, transfer-laden group built on speed and a willingness to block. Landon Ellis, who followed Chesney from James Madison, projects as a top target after a 624-yard, 17.3-per-catch season with the Dukes. Leland Smith arrives from San Jose State, while Brian Rowe (South Carolina) and Semaj Morgan (Michigan) add Power 4 pedigree, with Mikey Matthews and Florida transfer Aidan Mizell rounding out the room. Tight end is thinner: UCLA is counting on a portal addition to emerge, with James Madison's Josh Phifer and holdover Brayden Loftin leading the competition.
The backfield got a headliner in Wayne Knight, an all-purpose star who ran for 1,373 yards at 6.6 a carry at James Madison, including a 110-yard outing against Oregon in the playoff. He anchors a projected committee alongside returners Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas, giving Kennedy the downhill element the offense lacked.
The line was overhauled. Guard Eugene Brooks, an Oklahoma transfer a year ago, is the lone returning starter, and UCLA could replace as many as four spots. Three Dukes linemen followed the staff, including All-Sun Belt performers Riley Robell and Carter Sweazie plus tackle JD Rayner, and the portal added left tackle Jordan Davis (South Alabama) and right tackle Hall Schmidt (Boise State), with Florida State transfer Julian Armella and center Sam Yoon in the mix. The interior projects as the strength of a group that allowed 27 sacks in 2025.
Defense
The front is almost entirely new and has to fix a pass rush that was historically toothless; the Bruins managed just 10 sacks and 40 tackles for loss in 2025, both dead last in the FBS. Help arrived in Sahir West, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year at James Madison who posted seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss, giving UCLA a real edge threat for the first time in a while. Fellow Duke Aiden Gobaira (four sacks) came with him, and Power 4 imports Darold DeNgohe (Rutgers), Tyson Ford (Cal) and 300-pound Ohio State transfer Maxwell Roy fill the rotation. Sophomore Scott Taylor, who flashed as a freshman, competes off the edge. Interior depth remains a concern.
The linebacker tandem pairs returner Jalen Woods, the team's leading returning tackler, with Oklahoma transfer Sammy Omosigho, a rotational piece on a College Football Playoff team who logged 50 tackles and a pair of sacks last fall. Chesney calls Omosigho a really commanding presence. James Madison's Drew Spinogatti, a 136-tackle producer, adds experience, though the corps thins out quickly behind the top names.
The secondary is the defense's clear strength and the unit that kept 2025 from bottoming out. Cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, an All-Big Ten honorable mention who played through a shoulder injury, safety Cole Martin, a 12-game starter, and nickel Scooter Jackson all return. They are joined by Utah safety Tao Johnson, a four-year starter with 154 tackles, 13 pass breakups and three interceptions whom Chesney calls a phenomenal football player and who ranks among the roster's highest-rated newcomers. James Madison nickel DJ Barksdale, a ball-hawking 27-game starter with 15 breakups and four picks, also transfers in, and Ohio State transfer Malik Hartford adds length and Power 4 depth at safety. This is the position group best equipped to hold up in the Big Ten.
Placekicker Mateen Bhaghani is a genuine weapon, connecting on 83 percent of his career field goals, including 39 of 45 from inside 50 with a long of 57. UCLA replaced its punter with Sam Houston transfer Curtis Gerrand, who averaged better than 43 yards a boot. Wayne Knight, who averaged 9.5 yards per punt return in 2025, and Mikey Matthews handle the return duties.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule opens with a tricky nonconference test at Cal followed by San Diego State, and the Big Ten draw stays manageable until a November closing stretch. Five conference home games and a difficulty rating on the softer side give Chesney a runway, and his track record, built on five league titles at FCS Holy Cross and a first-ever CFP berth at James Madison, is the reason for optimism. The blueprint mirrors the JMU-to-Indiana pipeline that paid off a year earlier.
The preseason consensus is skeptical in the short term, slotting UCLA in the bottom third of the Big Ten, somewhere around 12th to 14th, even while flagging the Bruins as a plausible most-improved candidate. That is the tension of this team: the returning talent at quarterback and in the secondary is real, but so much of the roster is brand new that the win total hinges on how quickly the transfers gel. If the rebuilt lines come together and Iamaleava takes the step his physical tools suggest, a bowl push is on the table; if not, another long autumn in Westwood looms. The lines and the pass rush are the make-or-break.