3 Overlooked Bruins Who Will Start for UCLA Football

UCLA's starting lineup for the upcoming football season is far from finalized at this point in the offseason, but that hasn't stopped experts from taking their best guesses at what it may look like.

There are plenty of obvious starters, like Nico Iamaleava at quarterback, Wayne Knight at running back, several members of the secondary, and more. Many of those players have drawn attention and hype this offseason, but there are others who haven't been profiled as much.

ucla footbal — May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Here are a few overlooked players who should be expected to start for the Bruins this fall.

WR Leland Smith

Smith comes to UCLA from San Jose State after three seasons with three different college football programs. He began his college career at Fullerton College, where he established himself as an All-American and one of the best junior college wide receivers in the country. He hardly played for Purdue in 2024, but Smith had nearly 700 yards and three touchdowns at SJSU last season.

Those numbers would have easily led the UCLA receiving corps last season and are about double the amount of UCLA's lead returning receiver in 2026. Smith also has the frame to be a true No.1 at 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs. He's an absolutely critical player for the Bruins, yet it seems he hasn't garnered as much praise and attention as other transfers at the position.

DE Aiden Gobaira

BREAKING: James Madison standout transfer EDGE Aiden Gobaira has Committed to UCLA, he tells @On3Sports

The former Notre Dame transfer totaled 38 tackles and 4 sacks this seasonhttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/h8nm3z9R2q
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 5, 2026

It's easy to overlook the "other defensive end" when you have such a young and promising game wrecker joining the program in former James Madison standout Sahir West, but Gobaira deserves his due. He began his college career as a four-star prospect at Notre Dame, but a redshirt year and a season-ending injury kept him from getting on the field.

He eventually transferred to JMU, where he got his first chance to make a significant impact, and he did just that. Despite only starting one game, he finished the year with 38 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss (TFL), and four sacks. Those numbers would have been among the best for UCLA. If he wins the starting job opposite West, and because of the lack of depth, he should, that kind of production from Gobaiara in an expanded capacity would be a massive benefit.

WR Mikey Matthews

All the hype of the offseason has gone to the transfers whom Bob Chesney and his staff have brought into their program at UCLA, and that's especially true at wide receiver. People are fascinated by guys like Landon Ellis, Aidan Mizell, Semaj Morgan, and a few others. But UCLA has a talented player returning to that group from last year's team.

Senior Mikey Matthews may only be 5-foot-8 and 182 lbs, but he's been a big playmaker. He finished second on the team in receiving last season after transferring from Cal and is the Bruins' lead returning receiver.

He seems to have the slot position locked down, and while the volume of his touches could conceivably decrease due to the pieces that were added this offseason, the quality and impact of those plays could become much greater as opponents have to pick their poison on who to defend more closely.

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