UCLA roster breakdown: How Bob Chesney made Curt Cignetti's blueprint his own to rebuild the Bruins

The former James Madison coach brought in a gaggle of transfers to quickly turn around what had been a dysfunctional UCLA program

Oct 9, 2026 at 10:07 pm ET • 4 min read

The comparisons between Bob Chesney and Curt Cignetti are numerous. Both worked their way up as journeymen from the lower levels of the sport, stacking double-digit-win teams and even placing players in the NFL. For Chesney, his path took him from Division III Salve Regina to Division II Assumption to FCS Holy Cross. Conference championships followed at each stop.

Both coached at James Madison, where they led the Dukes to conference championships and, for Chesney, a spot in the 12-team playoff. Both moved to down-on-their-luck Big Ten basketball schools and brought in players they were familiar with to help revamp their rosters. Thirteen JMU players followed Cignetti to Bloomington, and seven remained on the national title roster. UCLA has a dozen former Dukes on its roster, and roughly half are significant contributors.

A key difference in roster build is the perceived level of talent. Whereas Indiana ranked 72nd in the 247Sports Talent Composite coming into last season, UCLA is 24th in 2026, largely due to the retention of key players, notably five-star Nico Iamaleava.

At Indiana, Cignetti has capped one of the great turnaround stories in the sport's history with a national title. In Chesney's case, he hopes his import will also produce program-changing results. It's certainly too early to tell, but how are these Bruins built? CBS Sports goes inside the roster to break it down.

Note: If the player is a transfer, the star rating is his 247Sports transfer rating, not his high school rating. "(2025)" denotes a player in UCLA's 2025 transfer class, and therefore inherited by Chesney.

Quarterback

Nico Iamaleava — Sr. | Transfer from Tennessee | ★★★★★ (2025)

According to Iamaleava, it only took one meeting to convince him that staying at UCLA and close to home was the right decision. Chesney has been clear that retaining him was key in bridging the culture past the dysfunction of the 2025 season. So far, his legs have been the bigger asset than his arm, but his leadership has been key.

Running Back

Wayne Knight — 5th Yr. | Transfer from James Madison | ★★★
Anthony Woods — 5th Yr. | Transfer from Utah | ★★★ (2025)

The team's current star and most productive offensive player had to be talked into coming back to a James Madison team he'd been estranged from when Chesney arrived in Harrisonburg. He fielded offers from other schools last offseason but decided to follow Chesney to LA in the portal.

Four games into the season, he paces one of the country's best rushing attacks with a stunning 9.08 yards per carry. He is simply on a tear and currently has more rushing touchdowns than 30 Power Four teams.

"I know this guy wins," Knight said about Chesney to the school's website. "He wants to talk to his players. He wants to get to know you and know your journey and just know what kind of person you are. So, you can not only be a better player for him, but a better man after it's all said and done."

Wide Receiver

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Brian Rowe Jr.	So.	South Carolina	★★★
Landon Ellis	Sr.	James Madison	★★★
Semaj Morgan	Sr.	Michigan	★★★

UCLA's passing game has yet to truly get going (Morgan leads in receptions with 14 so far this season), but it hasn't had to, considering how well the Bruins have controlled games on the ground.

Tight End

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Brayden Loftin	5th Yr.	Kansas State	★★★
Harry Lodge	5th Yr.	Wake Forest	★★★

In a passing game that isn't prolific, UCLA's tight ends are most often used as extra run blockers.

Offensive Line

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Jordan Davis	5th Yr.	South Alabama	★★★
Eugene Brooks	Jr.	Oklahoma	★★★ (2025)
Riley Robell	Sr.	James Madison	★★★
Carter Sweazie	5th Yr.	James Madison	★★★
Hall Schmidt	5th Yr.	Boise State	★★★
Jensen Somerville	Jr.	—	★★★

The most intriguing part of Chesney's James Madison import is that it includes two interior offensive linemen in Sweazie and Robell. The interior is where height and length are a bit less of a concern than at tackle, especially regarding Sweazie, who is a 6-foot-1 guard. But they plow the road for one of the nation's most efficient run games, and they're part of a unit that includes other Group of Six players identified by UCLA's personnel staff as contributors.

Defensive Line

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Ashton Sanders	Sr.	Oklahoma	★★★ (2025)
Tyson Ford	5th Yr.	California	★★★
Sahir West	Jr.	James Madison	★★★★
Aiden Gobaira	5th Yr.	James Madison	★★★
A.J. Fuimaono	Sr.	—	★★★
Darold DeNgohe	Sr.	Rutgers	★★★
Amier Washington	Sr.	Texas Tech	★★★

West and Gobaira anchor a defensive line on the edges that rotates heavily at most spots. Rotation can keep a unit fresh, as it does for the Bruins, as does having huge leads in most of the games they've played so far this season. Against Oregon, the task will be sizable against a sixable offensive line out to prove its early-season struggles were an aberration.

Linebacker

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Jalen Woods	5th Yr.	—	★★★
Sammy Omosigho	Sr.	Oklahoma	★★★★
Scott Taylor	So.	—	★★★

The gem here is Omosigho, who is emerging as one of the nation's best linebackers with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks already this year. He was lost in the shuffle at OU but has found a place with, as he said this spring, "an opportunity." So far, he's certainly making the most of it.

Cornerback

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Scooter Jackson	Sr.	Utah Tech	★★★ (2025)
Rodrick Pleasant	Sr.	Oregon	★★★ (2025)
Derrick Barksdale	Sr.	James Madison	★★★

UCLA's corners have not faced anything close to the task at hand against Oregon. It's a group Pleasant at least is familiar with due to his time in Eugene, and Barksdale, like the rest of the Dukes who came over last season, got familiar with in the Playoff last season.

Safety

Player	Class	Transfer From	Rating
Malik Hartford	Sr.	Ohio State	★★★
Ta'Shawn James	Sr.	Iowa State	★★★

James has been a magnet for the ball so far this year on the back end with three interceptions. Only one player in the country has more. He pairs nicely with Malik Hartford, who recovered from shoulder surgery in 2025 to contribute in LA this season.