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 Kate Bergfeld will continue the series with a dive into the squad’s special team.

Personnel

Small moments, big impact.

While special teams may not see consistent action throughout a game like a quarterback does, they make their presence known at key moments.

Senior kicker Mateen Bhaghani has achieved perfection across his career, going 71-for-71 on extra points and earning the program’s special teams player of the year in 2024 – his first season in Westwood after a year with California. With an 83% field goal completion rate, he holds the second-longest field goal in UCLA history at 57 yards, which he drilled Nov. 7, 2024 against Iowa.

Bhaghani entered the collegiate scene in 2023 as the No. 6 kicker in the nation, according to Chris Sailer Kicking. This season, he will be joined by the No. 12 kicker in the 2026 recruiting class, Mateo Orosco.

The 6-foot freshman comes from Del Norte High School in San Diego – Bhaghani’s alma mater – where he totaled 40 points throughout two varsity seasons. Orosco was selected for the Polynesian Bowl after his senior campaign, where he scored the only three points for Team Makai.

Orosco joins the special teams unit alongside freshman long snapper Giancarlo Cereghino – a three-star recruit from Campolindo High School, according to 247Sports. Across the board, Cereghino is a top-five long snapper in his recruiting class, with 247Sports penning him as the country’s best.

Also in the long snapping department are sophomore Halakilangi Muagututi’a and fifth-year Salem Abdul-Wahab.

Muagututi’a was the nation’s No. 1 long snapper recruit in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports. He was selected to the Polynesian Bowl upon completion of his senior season in 2025.

Abdul-Wahab, who assisted Bhaghani in his breakout sophomore campaign, spent a season with Northern Colorado before moving to Westwood. As the primary long snapper in 2025, he was one of 35 Bruins to play every game. He controlled all of the long snaps in 2025, and he went without a mishandled snap across all his 11 games during his redshirt sophomore season.

The final piece in the special teams puzzle is a trio of Bruin punters.

While no punter who saw the field in UCLA’s 2025 season will return, one of the incoming three is a former Bruin.

Fifth-year punter Chase Barry played for UCLA from 2022 to 2024 before playing a season at Oklahoma State. Now he is coming back to Westwood, where in 2024 he was the primary holder for the Bruins with a season-long punt reaching 62 yards.

Alongside Barry, sophomore transfer Curtis Gerrand will don the blue and gold after a freshman season at Sam Houston, during which he appeared in all 12 games. He totaled 2,755 yards over 64 punts with a career best of 72 yards Oct. 2, 2025.

The only returning punter is sophomore Lennox Miller. Miller did not appear in any games for the Bruins in his first collegiate season but was a three-star recruit out of high school according to ESPN.

Drew Canan, the Bruins’ special teams coordinator and tight ends coach, is making his UCLA debut this season. Canan is joining with 13 years of experience as head coach Bob Chesney’s special teams coordinator across three different schools. He brings a long resume of coaching accolades, having earned the Dukes a top 15 special teams national ranking and their first Sun Belt Championship, and he will be supported by assistant special teams coordinator Chris Monfiletto.

Monfiletto, who is also entering his first season at UCLA, has coached collegiate football for 19 seasons, with three of the past five focused on special teams.

Whether the new coaches will be beneficial is still up in the air, but talented returners and fresh pieces should set them up for success.

Predictions

While new coaches add an element of unpredictability, Bhaghani’s position in the starting lineup will remain constant.

Bringing both veteran experience and proven talent, he will maintain his hold as the Bruins’ primary kicker just months after initially entering the transfer portal, with Orosco staying steady as a reserve option.

Bhaghani’s partner-in-crime, Abdul-Wahab, is also returning to the Bruins. However, his reign as the primary long snapper will come under pressure with the addition of Cereghino and Muagututi’a. While his history with Bhaghani gives him an edge, the new coaching staff is working to make improvements and may look at the long snappers to mix things up.

The punting trio is also fighting over the primary job. While Miller returns to the squad, Barry was formerly in the lead punting role for the Bruins. Barry’s veteran experience provides extra maturity on the field, but the talent from transfer Gerrand may prove more helpful.

Gerrand’s successful freshman season showed his capabilities in the collegiate scene. Ultimately, performances in the final fall practices will be key to determining who starts.

UCLA football will have its biggest challenges facing Oregon on Oct. 10 and Michigan on Nov. 21, but the rest of the season won’t be a walk in the park, either.

With a season opener against California and a home opener against San Diego State fast approaching, the special teams will soon begin their first reps under new leadership to find success in the 2026 campaign.