LOS ANGELES — After a week of practices in Irvine, the UCLA football team has returned to campus to resume their regular operations. Today’s practice is also their final one available to the media before Wednesday’s Media Day.
One of the biggest questions to begin the Bob Chesney era is how the first-year head coach is managing an influx of talent in Westwood.
The Bruins roster 63 new players this season, 45 of whom are transfers, and added elite pieces to an offense that showed flashes but struggled to find a consistent footing last year. As fall camp continues, we’re getting more clarity on who’s solidifying a spot in the starting offensive group.
Here’s a look at who has been standing out in the first unit:
QB: Nico Iamaleava
As soon as he announced his return to UCLA for his redshirt junior season, Iamaleava left very little drama for the Bruins’ starting quarterback competition. He was the team’s biggest offensive bright spot, throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns while also leading the team with 505 rushing yards. Chesney has spoken positively about Iamaleava throughout their time together in Westwood, and this continued after Monday’s practice.
“His command of the offense is really good right now,” Chesney said. “He’s doing a really good job of getting us into the right place. I think he’s doing a really good job of seeing the defense — and this defense is complicated and holds their shell as long as they can. And he’s doing a really good job of identifying those things. Just got to continue to connect with the receivers right now, and that’s one thing that he continues to grow with. We’re not letting him run right now, but as we all know, that’s a big part of his game.”
RB1: Anthony Woods
Woods surged in the running back room early last season despite being pegged as the third string coming out of camp. The fifth-year back took some of the first snaps with the first unit today. Woods led UCLA last season with 541 all-purpose yards, including 294 rushing yards on 63 carries.
RB2: Wayne Knight
The 2025 Sun Belt Championship MVP followed Chesney to Westwood this season after becoming James Madison’s single-season all-purpose yards record holder, pushing out a staggering 2,039 yards en route to the Dukes’ CFP berth last season.
Knight’s addition makes an already talented running back room even more versatile, and Chesney is most impressed by how they’ve competed throughout fall camp.
“They can protect. They are viable receiving options out of the backfield. They see whatever the run scheme is very, very well,” Chesney said. “They’re decisive to react. Fast decisions get fast results, and I think they’ve done a really good job of those things.
“And then in the end, they can run away from you, but they legitimately seek violence. That’s the thing to me that I’ve been most impressed with with those guys, is that when it’s time to put their pads down, they ain’t afraid to do it, and that bodes well for this offense.”
WR1: Brian Rowe Jr.
Rowe made his way to UCLA this offseason from South Carolina, where he put up 149 receiving yards on 19 receptions in 11 games last season. The 5-foot-11 wideout has spent much of fall camp with the first unit.
WR2: Landon Ellis
In one season under Chesney with the Dukes, Ellis made All-Sun Belt Third team and racked up 624 yards through the air and five touchdowns on 36 receptions. We saw Ellis take reps with the first team at today’s practice and was targeted multiple times by Iamaleava in live reps.
Slot WR: Mikey Matthews
Matthews reclaims his position in the slot after his first season with the Bruins. In 12 games, Matthews totaled 348 receiving yards and 33 receptions, which ranked second on the team, and caught two touchdowns last season. As seen all throughout camp, Matthews is also retaining his position as UCLA’s primary punt returner. In 2025 he returned nine punts for just 47 yards.
TE: Josh Phifer
Another transfer who followed Chesney from James Madison to UCLA, Phifer took most of the first-string reps during Monday’s practice. On the unit’s second play and first passing play, he slipped out from a blocking position to catch a short throw from Iamaleava and turn upfield.
Phifer spent three seasons at James Madison, but his offensive workload was limited, as he has just six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns in his college career so far. His presence on the first team suggests he could be taking on a much bigger role this season.
Offensive Line
The front five, according to Chesney, is the offensive group that has bolstered the most depth through camp. Plenty of names, both new and returning, have taken reps with the first unit, but here’s what the starting group looked like today:
LT: Jensen Somerville, LG: Eugene Brooks, C: Derek Osman, RG: Carter Sweazie, RT: Hall Schmidt
Chesney noted that tackle Jordan Davis and center Riley Robell, who routinely ran with the first unit earlier in camp, are dealing with minor injuries. Davis is already in a helmet and pads and is being eased back into things. Robell is dealing with a sprained MCL, a matter that Chesney says he can “come back from in a week or so.”
On the offensive line overall, Chesney said, “they look good, man. They’re getting better. They continue to get better every single day, and we’re starting to find some depth in there … we just need for those guys to keep battling like they do. And overall, I think they’re growing as a unit here in a really positive way.”
Returning starters like tackle Julian Armella and center Sam Yoon find themselves battling to retain their starting gigs. Chesney feels that further speaks to the quality of depth in the position group.
“That’s what it should be, right? In every single position,” he said. “I always think back to Tom Brady. He legitimately thought every time he’d step foot on that field, ‘If I don’t play well this week, I’m not going to be able to start next week.’ And that’s the mentality he took into it, and that’s the mentality I want our team to have: is that there never is a moment where, ‘I’ve arrived and I’ve just earned this and it’s mine forever.’ That’s not the case, and I think that our guys understand that, so they got to battle every single day.”
Other Notable Players
Running back Jaivian Thomas has received first-team reps at various times during both spring and fall practices but did not practice today. Wide receiver Aidan Mizell has turned heads with his play and earned praise from Chesney, but he also wasn’t visible on the field on Monday.
With two weeks of camp remaining, the offense is taking major strides in becoming the force many expect it to be in the Chesney era. The first real test comes in 19 days when UCLA takes on Cal in Berkeley for its season opener, on Saturday, Sept. 5.