By Bill Seals
The 2026 UCLA Bruins football team opened training camp on Thursday, August 6, at the Wasserman Football Center and it was easy to see that this is a different team on the Westwood campus. The Bruins brought a level of energy and enthusiasm to training camp that has not be seen in a while in Westwood.
New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney has an impressive résumé and the energy and enthusiasm to match it. The 48-year-old Chesney has won conference coach of the year honors six times across his collegiate career: twice in the Northeast-10 Conference (2015, 2017), three times in the Patriot League (2019, 2021, 2022), and once in the Sun Belt Conference (2025).
Chesney went 12-2 last season with James Madison University (JMU) and led them to a berth in the 12-team college football playoffs. Turning the UCLA football team back into a winner will just be another challenge for him and after one day of training camp, he seems ready for it.
“Day one is day one, right?” Chesney said. “I am sure every coach in America says it is a good first day because you are excited to be back playing the game that we love to play with the guys that we love to do it with. I thought we were focused a lot on not only fundamentals, not only scheme, little bit of situation, ultimately procedural discipline was a big part of what we want to constantly talk about and then how quickly can I get to the next play?”
Chesney added, “I think everybody’s going to bring everything they got in day one. It’s really day four, five, six, seven that I’m interested in to just see exactly who they are and how they handle all this. We don’t get a chance to handle this in spring ball. You get 15 opportunities in spring ball. We will double that up as we go through preseason camp. There is a lot more we will learn about their toughness and resolve, and all the things that come with it.”
Chesney brought ten football players with him via the transfer portal from JMU, and they should make a huge impact on both offense and defense. JMU redshirt freshman defensive end Sahir West was named the Freshman of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference and was a second team All-Sun Belt selection with 7.0 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss.
Former JMU defensive end Aiden Gobaira was a third-team All-Sun Belt selection with 38 tackles (18 solo) to go with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. West and Gobaira had a combined 11 sacks, one more than the entire UCLA team had in 2025. Defensive back DJ Barksdale, a third team All-Sun Belt selection for JMU in 2025, had 36 tackles (22 solo) to go with 3.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
On the offensive side, JMU transfer running back Wayne Knight is a significant addition to the offense. The JMU star was an Associated Press second team All-American all-purpose player in 2025 and first team All-Sun Belt selection. Knight rushed for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns, adding another 397 yards on 40 receptions and one receiving touchdown. He was named the Sun Belt Football Championship Most Valuable Player after rushing for a career-high 211 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, leading James Madison to the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Knight will be joined by JMU transfer wide receiver Landon Ellis, a third team All-Sun Belt wide receiver selection. Ellis had 36 receptions for 624 receiving yards and five touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per reception. JMU transfer Riley Robel was named a Second Team All-Sun Belt offensive lineman in 2025. JMU transfer Carter Sweazie was a Third Team All-Sun Belt offensive lineman selection.
JMU transfer linebacker Drew Spinogatti started five games for JMU in 2025 and had 55 tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two fumble recoveries (one touchdown) and three pass breakups. Spinogatti led the team through the stretching period in the first day of training camp and it was easy to see why he is here at UCLA.
“Drew just brings it every day, and he plays at one speed, and you got a chance to see it here in the spring and you will see that here in the preseason and you will see that during the regular season,” Chesney said. “He has one speed and really only one speed and that’s infectious to people around him. So, it means a lot for him to be here.”
Chesney also brought seven assistant coaches with him from JMU, including offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler. Kennedy will inherit quarterback Nico Iamaleava and pairing him with Knight could bring some fireworks to UCLA.
Iamaleava was named the Associated Press National College Football Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2025 season. He accounted for five total touchdowns in a 42-37 upset win over No. 7 Penn State. Knight was the Week 15 Associated Press National Player of the week for his record setting performance in the Sun Belt championship game with 234 all-purpose yards in a 31-14 win over Troy. That win helped propel JMU to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Bruin fans will have to wait until Saturday, September 5, to see this new version of the UCLA Bruins football team in action. The Bruins open up in Berkeley against an old rival, the California Golden Bears. The game will start at 7:30 pm on ESPN, in a game that will bring back memories of the good ole days of Pac-12 after dark football games.
