The Bob Chesney era in Westwood has officially begun. Chesney is looking to revive UCLA out on the gridiron fresh off leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff. The Bruins, meanwhile, are 8-16 over the past two seasons and have yet to fully recover from Chip Kelly jumping ship for the Ohio State offensive coordinator gig back in 2024.
Chesney hit the ground running in the transfer portal, as well as the recruiting trail – even if a lot of his most notable additions won’t arrive on campus until 2027. This is certainly viewed as a rebuilding year for UCLA, with DraftKings Sportsbook setting its over/under at 6.5 wins.
So how far do we think Chesney can guide the Bruins in 2026?
UCLA Bruins 2026 Season Preview
Outside of a three-game winning streak under interim coach Tim Skipper to open October, the Bruins were pretty dreadful across the board in 2025. They averaged the 11th-fewest points per game in FBS on top of allowing the 10th-most. The end result was a -15.2 average point differential, which was good for seventh-worst in the nation and second-worst among Power Conference programs.
Nico Iamaleava was one of the few bright spots at quarterback, and even then the former Tennessee signal-caller failed to produce consistently. He completed 64.4% of his passes, but struggled with the deep ball and only totaled 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions and a 123.5 passer rating in 11 games. Iamaleava did, however, rack up 505 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a 6-foot-5 quarterback, so there was promise there.
Chesney brought running back Wayne Knight with him from James Madison after the senior totaled 1,770 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage. He joins a backfield that also got 358 yards out of Jaivian Thomas and 505 out of Anthony Woods. Chesney also completely revamped the Bruins’ collection of pass catchers, on top of retaining No. 2 receiver Mikey Matthews. Leland Smith posted 688 yards at San Jose State last year, while Landon Ellis went for 624 under Chesney at JMU. There’s also Brian Rowe Jr. and Aidan Mizell coming over from the SEC – transferring from South Carolina and Florida, respectively.
James Madison transfer Josh Phifer, Kansas State transfer Brayden Loftin, Wake Forest transfer Harry Lodge and Boston College transfer Stevie Amar Jr. have stepped in at tight end, as well, joining sophomore Noah Fox-Flores. Center Riley Robell, right guard Carter Sweazie and right tackle JD Rayner are all coming in from James Madison to overhaul the unit up front, as are Boise State transfer Hall Schmidt and former South Carolina and South Alabama tackle Jordan Davis at tackle. Eugene Brooks, the Bruins’ best O-linemen from a year ago, also remains in the mix.
On the other side of the ball, cornerbacks Rodrick Pleasant and Scooter Jackson – plus safety Cole Martin – are really the only returning starters, and that’s if Jackson is academically eligible. Oklahoma transfer Sammy Omosigho is set to man the middle of the field at linebacker coming off a 50-tackle campaign with the Sooners. The Bruins also just picked up a late commitment from linebacker Trent Hendrick, the 2025 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year at JMU, despite the fact that he participated in the Browns and Chiefs’ rookie minicamps this spring. Former Utah safety Tao Johnson could immediately step in as UCLA’s top DB, with Iowa State transfer Ta’Shawn James and Virginia Tech transfer Dante Lovett expected to take on substantial roles in their own right. Again, familiarity will come into play with nickel back DJ Barksdale, who notched two picks and 12 pass breakups at JMU in 2025.
Up front, former Notre Dame and Cal lineman Tyson Ford is going to shoulder a lot of the load. Darold DeNgohe, another James Madison product who spent time at Rutgers, will also log snaps in the middle alongside veteran A.J. Fuimaono, with former JMU and Notre Dame lineman Aiden Gobaira also rotating in for passing downs. Sahir West is the cream of the crop when it comes to James Madison additions, considering he notched 7.0 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss in 2025.
A lot of UCLA’s hopes this season hinge on that defense, especially the mysterious rotation at defensive tackle. The secondary also has a lot of question marks, even if there is talent in the mix, as does the linebacker corps around Omosigho and now Hendrick. That being said, the bar for improving upon last year is incredibly low. The same goes for the offense, since simply being anything better than awful would mark a noticeable improvement from 2025. The Bruins got stuck in the mud so many times, unable to move the ball in virtually any scenario. Since they likely won’t lose their offensive coordinator after three games and their head coach after four, there will at the very least be more stability when it comes to play-calling and the general program culture in 2026.
UCLA Bruins Win Total Prediction
Luckily for Chesney, UCLA has a relatively soft nonconference slate to open the season. The Bruins’ season opener at Cal should be a coin flip, then they should be a favorite over San Diego State the following week at the Rose Bowl. An ensuing home game against Purdue, plus a road game versus Maryland – who they beat last year – are winnable as well, which means a 4-0 start is on the table.
Don’t expect the Bruins to put up much of a fight in Eugene on Oct. 10, since Chesney lost 51-34 when he faced the Ducks in the CFP last December. But after that assumed loss comes home games versus Wisconsin, Michigan State and Nevada, then a trip to Minnesota. The Wolfpack don’t have the Bruins’ talent – or coaching now that Chesney is in charge – while the three Big Ten opponents in that stretch are in the same middle-of-the-pack tier as UCLA. Even catching Bret Bielema’s Illinois squad in Pasadena rather than Champaign-Urbana is a bit of a break for the Bruins.
UCLA’s game at Michigan in November can get chalked up as a loss now, but the season finale against USC is the kind of rivalry matchup that can always go either way. Iamaleava is the kind of star quarterback who could define his legacy against the Trojans, who have been constantly disappointing and subpar defensively under Lincoln Riley. He was once considered a future first round pick, after all, and perhaps this is when Iamaleava reasserts that reputation.
Put simply, there are only two automatic losses on UCLA’s schedule in Oregon and Michigan. And while that doesn’t mean they’re going to go 10-2 in Chesney’s first year, there is a pretty clear path to a winning season. Looking at the Nevada game as a win, the Bruins would have to go 5-4 in their nine toss-ups in order to secure bowl eligibility. Chesney has made a career on outperforming expectations and stringing together quick turnarounds, whether it has been at James Madison, Holy Cross, Assumption or Salve Regina. Making the leap to the Big Ten is notable, but that shouldn’t prevent Chesney from continuing his winning ways in Westwood.
Win Total Pick: UCLA Over 6.5 (+110)
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