UCLA football is days away from opening the 2026 campaign against former Pac-12 rival California. Daily Bruin Sports gathered some of the biggest questions surrounding the squad in its first season under coach Bob Chesney. Sports editor Jacob Nguyen and senior staffer Kai Dizon offer answers for the Westwood faithful in this year’s edition of “Between Two Bruins.”

Is the Chesney hype real?

Look, I get it.

This is a valid concern for anyone who had to hear all the optimism surrounding UCLA legend DeShaun Foster, just for the former running back to go 5-10 as head coach and be fired after starting 2025 with the Bruins’ worst opening record since 2019.

As scary as it may be for UCLA fans to get their hopes up once again, Chesney might be the best hire in recent memory. And he has the track record to back it up.

With 16 seasons of head coaching experience, Chesney has seen it all, having risen up the ranks of college football since 2010, when he helmed Division III Salve Regina. In his three years there, Chesney garnered a 23-9 record, including a New England Football Conference championship appearance.

His next stop took him to Division II Assumption College, where the two-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year earned three consecutive NCAA Division II playoff berths.

Chesney’s first Division I home was Holy Cross, where he spearheaded the program’s best three-year stretch in 30 years – going 29-8 – before making his way to James Madison. In his two years in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the 2025 Sun Belt Coach of the Year led the Dukes to their first-ever bowl victory, conference title and College Football Playoff berth.

Simply put, Chesney has been a winner everywhere he goes. And UCLA hiring him was so much more than just settling for the best-looking name on paper.

Chesney wants to be in Westwood, and he’s shaped this new era with a culture emblematic of that sentiment.

History is often said to repeat itself, and Chesney has given me no reason to say he’s some anomaly of the universe.

– Jacob Nguyen, Sports editor

Will the Bruins be bowling?

UCLA hasn’t appeared in a Bowl Game since 2023, when it made the trek to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood – ironically, the closest venue to campus it played at that season, beating out the Rose Bowl and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Bruins fell one win short of the six-win mark necessary to qualify for bowl season in 2024 before falling victim to an abysmal 3-9 2025 campaign.

A glance at UCLA’s 2026 slate suggests that six wins aren’t just possible. It should be the expectation.

Yes, while on one hand, UCLA will face No. 2 Oregon and No. 16 Michigan at Eugene and Ann Arbor, respectively, it won’t face Big Ten rivals No. 1 Ohio State, reigning national champion No. 6 Indiana, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State or No. 22 Iowa.

Its non-conference slate features California, San Diego State and the landing spot for former UCLA backup quarterback Luke Duncan, Nevada.

The Bruins don’t even need to win every home game to go bowling – as they’re set to play seven of their 12 regular season games in Pasadena.

UCLA can drop its contests against No. 14 USC, Cal, Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois in 2026, and so long as it wins its remaining six games, it will play a 13th.

If that’s too tall a task, it would seem the Chesney train is barreling toward a cliff.

– Kai Dizon, Sports senior staff

Who will be UCLA’s biggest impact transfer?

For the majority of the summer, junior defensive end Sahir West looked poised to be the best incoming Bruin.

The 2025 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year logged seven sacks with James Madison – tied for second among all freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision – and will revitalize a pass rush that ranked dead last in the country in total sacks last year. West’s explosive athleticism wreaks havoc on opposing blocks and gives the Bruins newfound pocket pressure.

And West probably would’ve been my answer had it not been for the addition of his recently-added teammate.

After receiving a temporary restraining order in a Louisiana lawsuit against the NCAA, former JMU linebacker Trent Hendrick received a fifth year of eligibility, subsequently transferring to reunite with West and Chesney.

[Related: The Chesney train rolls on, adding Trent Hendrick to the JMU-to-UCLA pipeline]

The 2025 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year totaled 106 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in his senior campaign, also linking back up with defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler. Hendrick boosts an already-deep linebacker room with his versatility and strength in blitzes, joining forces with West to create a lethal pass rush.

While Chesney said Hendrick will play in the Bruins’ opening match, his limited acclimation time may incentivize employing him off the bench right out of the gate. Nonetheless, once he gets back into the groove, Hendrick likely pairs alongside senior Sammy Omosigho for a high-IQ duo that can man different lineups.

– Jacob Nguyen, Sports editor

Is senior Nico Iamaleava still going to play like a video game quarterback this season?

It seemed like Iamaleava had to play superhero every Saturday just to give the Bruins a chance. Like me playing Madden, Iamaleava seemed eager to tuck the ball and run with reckless abandon – at even the smallest glimmer of sunlight between him and the line to gain.

However, unlike me playing through a computer screen, Iamaleava felt every single one of those hits amid his seeming refusal to slide before contact.

Iamaleava hasn’t posed any indication that he’s hesitant about putting his body on the line again in 2026, and his ability to convert on broken plays isn’t necessarily something you would practice or discourage completely.

But if Chesney and company have anything to say about it, I’d guess they’re confident a running back room featuring fifth-year Wayne Knight, fifth-year Anthony Woods and senior Jaivian Thomas is enough to handle the ground attack, while an assortment of additions to the offensive line and receiving corps should give Iamaleava more looks at open targets and time in clean pockets.

The quarterback room doesn’t lack warm bodies, but it does lack experience.

All signs point to Nico Iamaleava’s younger brother, sophomore Madden Iamaleava, being UCLA’s backup signal caller, but he saw the field just once as a freshman and has yet to complete a pass.

The only other quarterback with starting experience is senior Ty Dieffenbach, who played in 11 games at Cal Poly in 2025, starting nine. However, Dieffenbach had mixed results, matching his nine touchdowns with nine interceptions, as the Mustangs finished the year 4-8.

Suffice to say, the Bruin offense may only have a standing chance if it can keep Nico Iamaleava upright.

– Kai Dizon, Sports senior staff