UCLA Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 1

We have finally made it to the No. 1 spot on our list of the top 30 players on the Bruins' 2026 roster.

Throughout this journey, I have gone over every position group on the team and shown how much this team has improved. Whether it's retaining players from last year's team or bringing in players from the transfer portal, Bob Chesney has rebuilt this team into one that can win six or more games this year.

Jul 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Football head coach Bob Chesney speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, UCLA had a disaster of a season. Transfer Nico Iamaleava had a bad year; the offensive line couldn't protect, the defensive line couldn't get after the quarterback, and the Bruins finished with a 3-9 overall record. However, the biggest problem from last year's team was the lack of a running game as the leading rusher was QB Nico Iamaleava, while the leading running back, Jalen Berger, is gone.

While Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas are back, the Bruins needed a true number one back, and James Madison transfer Wayne Knight is the premier back that UCLA needed last year.

Wayne Knight as a High School Prospect

Coming out of high school, Knight would have a good four seasons at Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Delaware.

As a freshman, Knight would have a good first year as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart. Knight would have 51 carries throughout the year with 367 yards and four touchdowns. Most of the year, Knight would have fewer than 10 carries in every game except for one against Salesianum when he showed out his full skill set with 25 carries to go along with 166 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

In his sophomore year, he would see an increased role as the starting running back for the Eagles. As the starting running back, Knight would have 126 carries for 802 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while also showing his ability to be a receiving back with 48 receptions, 525 yards, and one touchdown.

Heading into his junior season, Knight had a good season but would have a down year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Eagles played only seven games. In those seven games, Knight had 74 carries for 485 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns, as well as 26 receptions for 365 yards and three touchdowns.

His senior season would be the year he truly broke out as a player. Knight would have an incredible senior season, finishing with career highs in carries with 175, rushing yards with 1,406, and touchdowns with 30 on the ground, as well as 43 receptions for 783 yards and six touchdowns. Knights' season would be so impressive that he would lead all of the state of Delaware in points scored, with 278 total points scored for the Eagles en route to a state championship appearance.

Even with his amazing senior season, Knight would not be highly regarded as a recruit. Knight would be a zero-star recruit in the 2022 class, and not many major schools offered him; only schools such as Brown, Delaware, and James Madison did. In the end, Knight would commit to James Madison and play for Curt Cignetti.

Knight at James Madison

In Knight's first season, he had a season he would like to forget: in eight games, he had only five carries for -8 yards on the ground. Knight would only have positive yardage in the receiving game with five catches for 63 yards.

His sophomore season wasn't much better, as he had just four carries for 23 yards and one reception for 11 yards. Fortunately for Knight, because he appeared in only four games, he was able to redshirt and retain a year of eligibility.

Curt Cignetti would move on to being the head coach at Indiana, and Bob Chesney would take over as head coach. With Chesney’s offensive scheme prioritizing the run, Knight would get more of an opportunity on the field. Knight would move up on the depth chart to RB2 and would have a great season with 77 carries for 449 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Much like his high school career, Knight's fourth year in college football would be a truly breakout season. Knight would establish himself as one of the best Group of Six running backs, finishing the season with 207 carries for 1,373 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, with 40 receptions for 397 receiving yards and a touchdown.

With Knight's help on the offense, James Madison would finish with a 12-2 record with not only a Sun Belt Conference Championship but also a College Football Playoff appearance.

Knight would have multiple accolades, including being named Associated Press Second Team All-American, Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American, USA Today Second Team All-American, First Team All-Sun Belt, Sun Belt Football Championship Most Valuable Player, and Paul Hornung Award Finalist.

Wayne Knight Transferring to UCLA and What He Brings

After an amazing season last year with James Madison, Bob Chesney would be one of the top coaching candidates this past offseason and would accept the job at UCLA, and it wouldn't take long for Knight to follow Chesney to Westwood.

Knight is coming off a breakout season with James Madison, as he proved he is capable of getting major yards rushing and receiving. Knight is a player who can run in between the tackles as well as outside of them to pick up major yardage, and while he might look small, he can bulldoze over anyone.

Knight will also have a much more upgraded offensive line in front of him with not only familiar faces like Carter Sweazie and Riley Robell, but also Jordan Davis, Eugene Brooks, and Hall Schmidt. With his skill set and a much-improved offensive line, Knight has the chance not only to prove to be a top running back in the Big Ten but also to be a top running back in the country.

The Bruins' offense will heavy feature the star back in Year 1 under Chesney.

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