While little has been confirmed since UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney’s introductory press conference on Dec. 9, transfer portal exits, coaching staff additions and speculation about the 2026 Bruins have been plentiful. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger breaks down his five biggest updates from the craziness that is the college football offseason.

Related: [UCLA introduces Bob Chesney as head football coach, instills hope in Bruin community]

No longer Jerry’s World

It is all but confirmed that assistant head coach, tight ends coach and offensive play caller Jerry Neuheisel is out in Westwood.

UCLA is expected to hire James Madison offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, who is following Chesney to the West Coast, per CBS Sports.

Neuheisel – a former UCLA quarterback who has been a part of the Bruin coaching staff for eight seasons – was elevated to offensive play caller after former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri left the program on Sept. 30.

Related: [Sunseri out in Westwood, following Foster and Malloe]

While Neuheisel could return to the coaching staff in a different role, he is not expected to be retained by Chesney, per Bruin Report Online, and I expect Neuheisel to go elsewhere.

The former Bruin has spent nearly a decade coaching at his alma mater, and after making a name for himself this past offseason – leading the UCLA offense to three consecutive victories after starting the season 0-4 – he could find a job at another Power Four program.

And even if he doesn’t get a job calling plays somewhere, many programs would probably welcome his expertise and connection to players as a position coach.

While there is no news of where Neuheisel will land, the Ole Miss faithful have taken to social media to plead for the former Bruin offensive play-caller to join the newly built staff as a position coach.

So who’s next?

Despite Kennedy leading the Dukes to a top-10 scoring offense in the nation, there seems to be a mixed bag of opinions on the JMU offensive coordinator.

Kennedy is in his second season in Harrisonburg, Virginia, leading a JMU offense that ranks fifth in rushing offense and No. 22 in total offense. In his first season, he led an offense that ranked in the top 30 in seven offensive categories.

The reported new UCLA coordinator is no stranger to Chesney, as he spent two seasons with the head coach at Holy Cross – serving both as quarterbacks coach and adding offensive coordinator duties the second year – before traveling with him to Virginia and now to Southern California.

Kennedy led one of the most explosive offenses in the FCS at Holy Cross, a unit that ranked in the top 20 in eight different offensive statistical categories after the 2023 season.

UCLA is not his first taste of Power Four football either.

Before joining Chesney’s staff at Holy Cross, Kennedy spent four seasons in Gainesville as Florida’s assistant quarterbacks coach and, among other duties, helped coach Heisman finalist Kyle Trask.

Despite his resume, there seems to be a lot of contention around Kennedy and his departure from JMU.

The Dukes’ faithful took to social media to criticize Kennedy as “one of the only positives of Chesney leaving.”

Kennedy is cited to have inconsistent play calling, sticking to his game plan instead of adapting and making nonsensical decisions.

While the criticism of Kennedy may lack merit, considering the Dukes’ top-ranked offense, there may be a reason JMU fans are happy to see him go.

Joining Jerry

Neuheisel’s departure will likely not be the only one.

Associate head coach and inside linebackers coach Scott White, assistant head coach and defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and secondary coach Demetrice Martin will not be retained on Chesney’s staff, per Bruin Report Online.

White is coming off his ninth year on the Bruin coaching staff. He has coached some of the best defensive and all-around players in UCLA history, including Carson Schwesinger, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.

Franklin completed just his first year in Westwood after the 2025 season, coming to Westwood with 34 years of defensive line coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels after spending the previous three seasons at Fresno State.

Martin finished his eighth year on the Bruin coaching staff after spending the previous three years at Michigan State and Oregon. Martin’s departure may be the most significant after leading a secondary that ranked No. 35 in passing yards allowed this season.

There weren’t a lot of bright spots from the Bruins’ 2025 campaign, but the UCLA secondary shone when everything else seemed bleak.

Redshirt sophomore defensive back Cole Martin – the son of Demetrice Martin – entered the transfer portal on Dec. 2. Considering that Demetrice Martin was with his son at Oregon and then went with him to UCLA, it seems likely that the pair will find each other again at their next location.

Related: [UCLA football dwindles in numbers, defensive backs slotted for transfer portal]

While there is a lack of confirmation on the departure of the defensive coaches, it seems likely that Chesney will clean house, bringing in his own personnel.

Re-signing?

Some schools have taken to social media to announce that players have “re-signed” to their college programs.

While the re-signing simply indicates that the player will return to the team for the following year and not enter the transfer portal, the thought of a college player re-signing with a school is baffling.

The picture of a player with a pen, paper and helmet, sitting in front of a TV lit up with the player’s name and the word “re-signed,” is something I have only seen in the NFL.

But this is what collegiate sports – particularly college football – has come to.

However, teams re-signing players brings up something interesting for UCLA. Who is going to return? Is there anyone worth returning?

Sophomore wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer has spent two years in Westwood and was easily the team’s most dynamic offensive weapon last season. With two years under his belt, Gilmer could finally see the breakout campaign fans are expecting of him.

Running backs junior Jaivian Thomas and redshirt junior Anthony Woods could also be two solid additions to Chesney’s Bruins. While both struggled to replicate their efficiency prior to donning the Bruin uniform, it was largely thanks to an abysmal offensive line.

If Chesney can refortify the trenches, then I envision Woods and Thomas being a solid one-two punch in the upcoming season.

Defensively, most of UCLA’s quality players that still have eligibility are in the portal, including Cole Martin and junior defensive back tandem Scooter Jackson and Andre Jordan Jr.

Related: [Defensive back Scooter Jackson announces plans to enter transfer portal]

However redshirt sophomore defensive back Rodrick Pleasant has yet to announce his future intentions. If he were to stay, he could be the cornerstone of the Bruins’ secondary come 2026.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Isaiah Chisom is another solid piece at the inside linebacker spot and a prime candidate to take the defensive play-calling role from the graduated JonJon Vaughns.

Nothing is concrete until the portal opens on Jan. 2.

Nico

Nico Iamaleava’s next decision becomes more and more interesting every day.

The redshirt sophomore has three options: stay, transfer or declare.

I find it extremely unlikely that he would transfer. The whole world saw what happened when he left Tennessee after two seasons. Imagine what would ensue if he entered the portal again after a disappointing 3-9 season in Westwood.

Outside of the disaster, I think the PR would be detrimental to his development. Starting at his next location is not a guarantee, and three programs in as many years is a bad look for his future stock.

But I also find it unlikely that he would declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Iamaleava has done nothing to make him worthy of a pick in the first five rounds of the draft, and, more importantly, he could go undrafted if he were to go the professional route. And while it’s not impossible to rise through the ranks, declaring early could be the biggest mistake he has made yet.

But staying in Westwood is even more intriguing.

Does Chesney bring JMU signal caller Alonza Barnett III to Westwood?

Maybe not, if Iamaleava stays.

While Iamaleava may have worse stats than Barnett, there is no doubt – in at least my mind – that Iamaleva is the better option, particularly given his Power Four experience and the fact that he has already spent one year in Westwood.

But then again, Barnett will have spent two years with Kennedy, and a third together could be all Barnett needs to take his talents to the next level.