Comparisons between Bob Chesney and Curt Cignetti are numerous. Both rose through the ranks as journeymen from the sport’s lower levels, stacking double-digit winning 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, to a berth in the 12-team playoff. Both moved to unlucky Big Ten basketball schools and tapped players they knew to help revamp their teams. 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 about half are significant contributors.
A key difference in roster building is the perceived level of talent. While Indiana ranked 72nd in the 247Sports Talent Composite last season, UCLA is 24th in 2026, thanks in large part to the retention of key players, including five-star Nico Iamaleava.
At Indiana, Cignetti capped one of the great turnarounds in sports history with a national title. In Chesney’s case, he hopes his import will also produce program-changing results. It’s definitely too early to tell, but how are these Bruins built? CBS Sports goes into the list 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 from UCLA’s 2025 transfer class, and therefore inherited by Chesney.
Strategist
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 made it clear that retaining him was key to bridging the culture after the dysfunctional 2025 season. So far, his legs have been the more important asset than his arm, but his leadership has been essential.
Run back
Wayne Knight – 5th grade. | Transfer of James Madison | ★★★
Anthony Woods – 5th grade. | Transfer from Utah | ★★★ (2025)
It took convincing the team’s current star and most productive offensive player to return to a James Madison team he was estranged from when Chesney arrived in Harrisonburg. He fielded offers from other schools last offseason, but decided to follow Chesney to Los Angeles in the portal.
Four games into the season, he leads one of the best rushing attacks in the country with a superb 9.08 yards per carry average. He’s nothing short of tearful and currently has more rushing touchdowns than 30 Power Four teams.
“I know this guy wins,” Knight said of Chesney on the school’s website. “He wants to talk to his players. He wants to get to know you, know your background and just know what kind of person you are. So you can not only be a better player for him, but a better man when it’s all said and done.”
Wide receiver
UCLA’s passing game hasn’t really gotten going yet (Morgan leads receptions with 14 so far this season), but it doesn’t need to, considering how the Bruins have controlled games on the ground.
Tight end
In a passing game that is not prolific, UCLA’s tight ends are most often used as extra run blockers.
Offensive line
The most intriguing part of Chesney’s James Madison import is that it includes two interior offensive linemen, Sweazie and Robell. Inside is where height and length are a little less of a concern than at tackle, especially when it comes to Sweazie, who is a 6-foot-1 guard. But they lead the way for one of the most efficient running games in the country, and they’re part of a unit that includes other Group of Six players identified by the UCLA staff as contributors.
Defensive line
West and Gobaira anchor a defensive line on the edges that rotates heavily in most places. Rotation can keep a unit fresh, as it does for the Bruins, as can having huge leads in most of the games they have played so far this season. Against Oregon, it will be a tall order against a six-man offensive line to prove that its early season struggles were an aberration.
Linebacker
The gem here is Omosigho, who is establishing himself as one of the best linebackers in the country with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks already this year. He got lost in the shuffle at OU but found a place with, as he put it this spring, “an opportunity.” So far, he’s certainly making the most of it.
Cornerback
UCLA’s corners haven’t faced anything like the task at hand against Oregon. This is a group that Pleasant is at least familiar with from his time in Eugene, and Barksdale, like the rest of the Dukes who came last season, became familiar with the playoffs last season.
Security
James has been a magnet for the ball so far this year at fullback with three interceptions. Only one player in the country has more. He pairs well with Malik Hartford, who recovered from shoulder surgery in 2025 to contribute for Los Angeles this season.
Gn sports
