UCLA Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 14

UCLA football had a major wide receiver problem last season.

Under DeShaun Foster for the past two seasons, the Bruins' wide receiver room could be labeled as disappointing. In his first year as the head coach, his leading receiver was tight end Moliki Matavao, who led the team with 506 yards, followed by running back T.J. Harden, who had 348 receiving yards.

The next season, sophomore receiver Kwazi Gilmer would lead the Bruins in receiving yards with 535 yards and four touchdowns. Gilmer was a glimmer of hope for the Bruins, as he is considered one of the better receivers in the Big Ten. However, he decided to enter the transfer portal and is now with Nebraska.

With Gilmer in the transfer portal and UCLA missing players from last year's team, Bob Chesney needed to rebuild the entire room, whether through the transfer portal or high school recruiting.

When looking back at our list, I have already gone over three players who will be on UCLA’s roster next season. Incoming freshman Kenneth Moore, Mikey Matthews, who is the only returning Bruins wide receiver from last year's team, and Leland Smith.

Now, for No. 14 on the list, we are going to finish up looking at the wide receiver room with Landon Ellis, who projects to be the wide receiver one for the Bruins next year.

Ellis Coming out of High School

We have spoken about many on the Bruins' roster who were unranked coming out of high school who have turned themselves into quality players in college. Landon Ellis is another player who has been added to the list as coming out of Woodberry Forest High School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia. Ellis was overlooked.

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes wide receiver Landon Ellis (13) runs after making a catch during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While a zero-star recruit in the 2023 high school class, Ellis had a successful high school career and would have a breakout senior season with the Tigers. As a senior, Ellis would be named 2022 Virginia Prep League Player of the Year, as well as be selected for the 2022 First Team All-State, All-Prep, and All-Central Virginia.

Ellis was a pure athlete and was capable of doing everything on the field for the Tigers. While wide receiver was his main position, he was also effective in the running and passing games. Ellis would finish his senior season with 32 catches for 536 yards and five touchdowns as a receiver, 75 rushes, 454 yards, and 12 touchdowns on the ground, and threw for 223 yards and a touchdown.

Even with all his success as a high school player, he wasn't considered by many Division I schools. Throughout the recruiting process, he would have multiple offers from Ivy League schools, including Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, and Brown. While attending an Ivy League school is a great achievement, it's not the best league to play football in.

Luckily, he would receive an offer from the University of Richmond, jump at the opportunity, and commit to the Spiders for the 2023 college football season.

Ellis at Richmond

Richmond has been a very good FCS program in recent memory, and it makes sense for Ellis to go to a good program to develop. He would play in two seasons with the Spiders and would have an impressive two years with the program.

Ladon Ellis — James Madison’s Landon Ellis, left, pulls down a pass ahead of Oregon’s Na'eem Offord during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As a freshman, he would show promise, as he would finish fourth on the team in receiving yards with 218 on 20 receptions. His best game of the year would be against the University of Maine, with three receptions for 45 yards and his first career touchdown.

His sophomore year would be Ellis' breakout year, as he became Richmond's primary No. 1 receiving option. Ellis would start in all 13 games of the season, finishing with 50 receptions for 588 yards and four touchdowns.

Even with as good a year as he had, it still wasn't enough to garner the respect that he deserved. At the end of the 2024 season, Ellis would hop in the transfer portal and commit to James Madison and play for Bob Chesney.

Ellis Joins Bob Chesney at James Madison

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes wide receiver Landon Ellis (13) runs after making a catch as Oregon Ducks defensive back Theran Johnson (5) defends during the second quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ellis would transfer to James Madison and come back home to Virginia. In his homecoming season, he would play in a much tougher conference, the Sun Belt, and flourish as a top player on the roster.

Ellis would finish the year with another 13-game season as the top receiving option for the Dukes. Ellis would have 36 receptions for 624 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season, as well as earning the respect he deserved as he was selected for Third Team All-Sun Belt as a wide receiver.

What Ellis Brings to UCLA

After such a great year at James Madison, leading the Dukes to a conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth, Bob Chesney was one of the hottest coaching names during the coaching carousel this offseason. Luckily for Bruins fans, he chose to take the UCLA job. One of the first recruits that followed Chesney to UCLA was Landon Ellis, and Chesney needed a No. 1 receiver.

When looking at his game, Ellis is a do-everything receiver. He can run a deep route, run a post, slant, or line up in the slot and run drag routes. Ellis is a big-bodied receiver at 6-2 and 217 pounds. He is able to grab those 50-50 balls on big-sized cornerbacks.

Ellis will be heading into a much more talented room at UCLA than he was in during his time at James Madison. While he will have help all around him, he is talented enough to separate himself as the number one guy in the room.

Having Ellis on the field next season is a huge gain not only for Chesney, as he won't have to worry about having to find a new number one guy on the outside, but also for quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava will have a true top receiver who can help him out as a passer.

Ellis is heading into his senior year of college, and with a good year with the Bruins, he could see his name being mentioned as a top receiver in a loaded receiver conference.

Add us as a preferred source on Google