UCLA Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 6

We are now at number six on our list of the top 30 players on the Bruins' roster for the upcoming 2026 college football season. UCLA’s defense has been vastly improved, and I am going to keep talking about the defenders on the roster and, more specifically, the Bruins linebacker room.

Bob Chesney was able to bring in players from the transfer portal and keep linebackers who can rush the passer and stop the run. Players such as Ryan McCulloch and Scott Taylor are both great outside linebackers who are very versatile on the football field.

The main piece that the linebacker room was missing was a true leader who could call plays for the defense on the field. Noticing a glaring hole in the defense, Chesney went out into the portal and was able to land Sammy Omosigho, who was a key piece at Oklahoma but entered the portal for a bigger role.

Omosigho as a Recruit

Oklahoma's Sammy Omosigho (7) celebrates a play in the second half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooner and the University of Michigan Wolverines at the Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coming out of high school, Omosigho had a very successful career while playing for Crandall High School in Crandall, Texas. Texas is the biggest state in the country for high school football, and Omosigho was one of the best from the 2023 high school class.

His career started slowly, as he saw the field as a freshman and actually started as a wide receiver. However, with his size at 6-1 and 208 pounds, he would move to the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker.

As a junior in his first year as a linebacker, Omosigho would have a great season with 89 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and two sacks, according to MaxPreps. Omosigho would also be a threat in the pass defense with a very impressive four interceptions and two pass deflections.

Omosigho would earn Texas District 8-5A D-II Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team all-district and district MVP honors. In his senior season, he had another great year, earning unanimous first-team all-district honors and district MVP honors, as well as being named to the 2023 All-American Bowl.

Omosigho would finish with 111 total tackles, seven sacks, and eight tackles for a loss. Being such a great player throughout his junior and senior seasons, Omosigho would see his high school ranking skyrocket.

Omosigho would be ranked as the 76th best player in the class of 2023, as well as being the seventh-ranked linebacker in the class, and the 13th-ranked player in the state of Texas. Ranked in the top 100 as a recruit, many schools pursued him, as he was projected to be a multi-year starter with long-term NFL Draft potential, according to Gabe Brooks of 247Sports.

Schools such as Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma State, SMU, Auburn, and in-state schools like SMU and Texas would extend scholarship offers to him. However, instead of staying in the state of Texas, he would go to the Longhorns' archrivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, and be part of their 2023 recruiting class.

Omosigho with the Sooners

As part of the Sooners' 2023 recruiting class, he was the fifth-ranked player in the class, which was ranked sixth in the nation.

In his freshman season with the Sooners, Omosigho had a decent year, playing in 11 games but mostly on special teams. Omosigho would finish the season with seven total tackles and three solo tackles, while also contributing in the run game with 0.5 tackles for a loss.

His sophomore year was when Omosigho made the jump to becoming a reliable member of the Sooners' defense. He would play in all 13 games of the Sooners' season, including making three starts in the season against Auburn, Texas, and in the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy.

Omosigho would finish the year with 39 total tackles and 19 total tackles while also having five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.

His junior season with the Sooners would be another step forward, making an impact on one of the best defenses in the country. Omosigho would finish the year with the fifth most tackles on the team with 50 total tackles and 28 solo tackles.

Omosigho would also have 4.5 tackles for a loss, as well as getting after the quarterback with two sacks. His best game of the season as a junior would be in the first game of the season against Illinois State, as he finished with eight total tackles and also had the first sack of his career.

While his senior year was good, it wasn't the year that he wanted. Omosigho would still be a depth piece coming off the bench, not starting any games.

Omosigho Upcoming Season with Bruins

After not starting for the Sooners in his three years of college football, Omosigho entered the transfer portal looking to be a full-time starter at a college program. Luckily, Bob Chesney was in need of someone hungry for that opportunity, and it was the perfect match.

Since coming to Westwood, he has already made an impression on the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler has spoken about his play and what he brings to UCLA.

“What a special pickup that was,” Hitschler said. “Great kid, was in an unbelievable program there with a lot of NFL backers and made a lot of plays for them. We played him two years ago when we were at Alabama, and he made plays in that game. So, just leadership, a knowledge of what it takes to be successful, and then just a passion for the game.”

Omosigho is a player looking for a bigger role with UCLA, and he is going to get it. With his versatility to be an open-field tackler while also being great at stopping the run, Omosigho will be a premier player on that defense.

Bob Chesney and Colin Hitschler want to be able to stop the run, as that was a weakness for last year's team and a strength for James Madison's defense.

The Big Ten is full of good physical running backs, and having a defense led by one of the better run-stopping linebackers in the country is great to have for any team in the Big Ten.

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