UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.

Football

2024 record: 8-5, 5-4 Big Ten, Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory

Coach: P.J. Fleck

Player to Watch: Drake Lindsey

Stopping opponents is vital for success.

But the offense also has to rise to the occasion to secure a win.

Minnesota had the first piece of the puzzle down. The squad boasted the fifth-best defense in the nation last season, a unit that allowed just 285.7 yards and 16.9 points per game. Its defensive arsenal was deep – nine athletes recorded over 40 tackles in 2024.

And the Golden Gophers are returning several of their key playmakers, particularly in linebacker Maverick Baranowski and defensive back Kerry Brown. The pair ranked in the top three for total tackles on the team, with 65 and 63, respectively.

Safety Koi Perich – who is the team’s kick and punt returner as well – also returns after leading the team with five interceptions in 2024, a mark that was tied for sixth nationally.

But Minnesota will feel the loss of Cody Lindenberg from the front seven. The linebacker recorded a team-high 94 tackles last season before joining the Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Offensively, the Gophers are in the hunt to sharpen their attack, which ranked 12th in the Big Ten with 337.8 yards per game.

And the squad leaves a lot to be desired, after 2024 starting signal caller Max Brosmer joined the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. The Roswell, Georgia, local set a single-season team record with 2,828 passing yards and added 18 touchdowns through the air.

Minnesota now turns to quarterback Drake Lindsey to lead the offense. Lindsey saw action three times last season, throwing for 50 yards and a single touchdown. The signal caller has potential – in his senior season at Fayetteville High School he recorded 3,941 passing yards with a 69% completion rate, and was listed as the No. 23 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class by 247sports.

Lindsey has some veteran offensive weapons to support him. Running back Darius Taylor will continue his collegiate career after posting 1,336 all-purpose yards in 2024, good for 35th in the nation.

A pair of receivers from the transfer portal will look to elevate the squad’s passing arsenal, including a familiar face for the UCLA faithful. Logan Loya departed Westwood and will join Minnesota for his final year of collegiate eligibility. The Garden Grove, California, local had a standout year in 2023, when he logged 655 yards on 59 receptions.

Wideout Javon Tracy – who notched 818 rushing yards and seven touchdowns at Miami University last season – will join Loya.

Men’s Basketball

2024 record: 15-17, 7-13 Big Ten, Big Ten Tournament appearance

Coach: Nico Medved

Player to Watch: Isaac Asuma

Some could say that this squad needs change.

Minnesota hasn’t recorded double-digit conference wins in nearly a decade. The team posted a conference-low 68.1 points per game and ranked in the bottom three in shooting from the field, beyond the arc and at the free-throw line last season.

But the change the squad has needed may have finally arrived this season, as Nico Medved returns to his alma mater as head honcho. Medved boasts 12 years of head coaching experience, most recently at Colorado State, where he led the Rams to a No. 12 coaching poll ranking in the 2023-2024 campaign – the highest ranking in school history.

And Medved has his work cut out for him.

The Gophers lost their two most productive players in the offseason, with the departures of forward Dawson Garcia and guard Femi Odukale. Garcia graduated after leading the team with 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game his senior season. Odukale — the team leader in assists, steals and blocks with 3.6, 1.5 and 1.2, respectively — graduated.

In fact, the squad isn’t returning any of its five top scorers from last season. But Guard Isaac Asuma – who averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in his freshman campaign – is back with promising potential.

Four four-star transfers headline a group acquired to bolster Minnesota’s scoring prowess. Guard Chansey Willis Jr. averaged 16.8 points and 5.8 assists per game at Western Michigan last season, and forward Bobby Durkin posted a team-high 91 three-pointers at Davidson across his 2023-2024 showing.

Minnesota could begin its ascension this season with a new coach and fresh centerpieces.

Women’s Basketball

2024 record: 25-11, 8-10 Big Ten, Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament champions

Coach: Dawn Plitzuweit

Player to Watch: Amaya Battle

Much like their male counterparts, this squad had struggled in recent years.

But a new head honcho has begun to turn the tide.

Dawn Plitzuweit took the helm at Minnesota in 2023 and led the Gophers to a 20-16 record, where the team finished as the runner-up in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

The following season, Plitzuweit guided the squad to its first 25-win campaign since 2004-2005, and she helped capture the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament championship trophy.

Although it can be difficult to excel in a hyper-competitive Big Ten conference, Plitzuweit’s guidance – combined with a squad returning nearly all of its major playmakers – may have what it takes to forge a solid conference run.

Guard/forward Grace Grocholski will return to the court after logging a team-high 473 points and 72 3-pointers last season. She is joined by guard Amaya Battle – who played at Hopkins High School alongside Paige Bueckers — the squad’s assists and steals leader with 4.3 and 1.7 per contest, respectively.

Mara Braun also has the potential to boost the Gophers’ performance. The guard had a standout freshman campaign during the 2022-2023 season, notching 15.6 points per game and netting 65 3-pointers. Braun joined Team USA’s U21 squad, competing abroad in 3×3 play after the collegiate season.

But the Wayzata, Minnesota, native has been limited to 25 games over the past two seasons due to consecutive right foot fractures.

Freshman guard Makena Christian could also make waves. ESPN ranked Christian as the No. 52 recruit in the nation and she averaged 25.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in her senior season at Hartford Union High School in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Minnesota may finally make some noise in the Big Ten with a crew of returning talent to row the boat.