As UCLA football enters its first year under coach Bob Chesney and third season in the Big Ten, Daily Bruin Sports will preview the personnel of the Bruins’ position groups and predict their 2026 outlook prior to the season’s opening game Sept. 5 against California. Assistant Sports editor Gabriela Garcia continues the series with a look into the team’s running back room.

Personnel

UCLA football’s running game in 2025 is a performance the team may want to forget.

The Bruins rushed for 1,676 yards total, ranking 13th in the Big Ten and 86th in the nation. With the team lacking a dynamic rushing game, then-redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava led the squad with 505 rushing yards. The Bruins struggled to run the ball effectively, adding to the signal caller’s pressure on the field.

But with fifth-year running back Wayne Knight coming to Westwood from James Madison, that could all change.

Knight had a breakout 2025 season at JMU where he set the school record with 2,039 all-purpose yards, rushed for 1,373 yards – the seventh-most in the FBS – and nine touchdowns. The 2025 Second Team All-American honoree could be the difference maker for the Bruins’ rushing game in 2026.

However, Knight will not be Iamaleava’s only weapon in the backfield as fellow running backs fifth-year Anthony Woods and senior Jaivian Thomas return to Westwood for their second seasons donning the blue and gold. Woods and Thomas are looking for bounce-back campaigns after both produced just 294 rushing yards each last year.

Although Woods and Thomas had lackluster seasons, they’ve shown signs of success in the past. Before a torn ACL that sidelined Woods for the entire 2024 season at Utah, he started all 12 games for Idaho, where he led the Big Sky with 1,155 yards on 206 carries and 16 rushing touchdowns. Thomas played in all 12 games for California during the 2024 season, where he rushed for 626 yards on 100 carries and had seven touchdowns.

More familiarity returns to the running back room for the 2026 season as coach A.J. Steward – one of only two returning coaches from the Bruins’ 2025 staff – begins his second season helming the position. Steward brings experience coaching running backs since 2012, and most recently, before coming to Westwood, helped Kansas become a top-40 offense that averaged 420.2 total yards per game in 2024.

Steward has fostered a competitive spirit between the players, developing a cohesive unit rather than focusing on individuality. With head honcho Bob Chesney voicing the importance of depth in the running game, the Bruins’ backfield will provide options.

And with offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy known to run the offense heavily on the ground, the Bruins will have the opportunity to showcase their new strength and make a new name for themselves.

Predictions

A new identity is on the horizon.

The Bruins’ revamped running game will be crucial to the team’s first winning season since 2023. They will have a chance to showcase their depth and talent under Kennedy’s dynamic rushing offense.

While Knight emerges as the likely week one starter out of fall camp after his performance last year, Woods and Thomas will likely challenge him for the starting role and be seeing high amounts of snaps as well. The trio brings the opportunity for different choices to be utilized throughout the season, and their health will be key to making it through the 2026 campaign.

The running back trinity should also take some offensive weight off of Iamaleava’s shoulders this season, allowing for him to play more freely. Under Steward, the Bruins’ backfield unit can prove that UCLA can be an offensive force.

Although all the focus is on the veteran trio, the Bruins’ running back room still boasts three other weapons at its disposal. Senior Troy Leigber, junior Dylan Lee and sophomore Karson Cox all pose intriguing questions as backup options down the stretch.

Leigber saw action in all 12 games last season on special teams, including two where he was a reserve running back. Lee is new to Westwood after transferring from Iowa State, where he played in 13 games across two seasons, totaling 152 yards on 36 carries and two touchdowns.

Cox – a four-star recruit in the class of 2025 – only saw action in one game last season, where he rushed twice for nine yards against Washington. Even though all three have less collegiate experience, they create diverse options that can throw off an opponent’s defense.

With a depth that mixes newcomers and returners, the running back room can spearhead an offense the Bruin faithful look forward to watching come UCLA’s opening slate.