UCLA Football Freshman Report: Who Is Rising and Falling

When Bob Chesney took over at UCLA, he may as well have just started from scratch.

We’ve all heard about the 40 transfers that Chesney brought to UCLA, specifically from James Madison, and created an incredibly crowded depth chart.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With so many older players competing for starting jobs and meaningful playing time, UCLA’s freshman class of 2026 was always going to face an uphill battle to even see the field in year one, let alone land a starting role.

CJ Lavender Is Rising

If there’s one freshman who may be separating himself from the rest of the group, it’s defensive back CJ Lavender.

Nov 30, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins helmets during pregame warmups before playing the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Lavender was a 3-star recruit out of Mater Dei and was rated the 73rd-ranked safety in the country by 247Sports coming out of high school.

More importantly, reports from UCLA’s fall camp have pointed to Lavender as one of the best freshmen in camp. He’s at least shown enough in preseason for reporters to name him as one of the better freshmen of the class, and he’s now been put on the radar as one freshman Bruin who could potentially see the field this season.

Nov 22, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Washington Huskies safety Rahshawn Clark (2) forces a fumble by UCLA Bruins wide receiver Mikey Matthews (7) during the first half the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Everyone Else Is Falling…Sort Of

The difficult part of this report is determining and labeling anyone as “falling.”

For the most part, the freshmen aren’t “falling” because they’re playing poorly, but simply because the veterans and transfers on this roster have already all but assumed so many positions on the depth chart.

UCLA’s roster is filled with players Chesney brought in specifically to compete immediately. For anyone looking for a team to watch with young, unproven freshman talent, UCLA would not achieve that goal.

Chesney’s transfer-heavy squad means that freshmen are competing against players who have already spent multiple seasons in college football. That makes it very difficult to imagine seeing any freshman suddenly jump to the top of the depth chart and hit the field right away.

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

But that may not be a bad thing. There’s no reason for Chesney to rush these players onto the field if there are simply better, more experienced players ahead on the depth chart.

For now, do not expect to see UCLA’s freshmen in any kind of major role. If Chesney builds up the program correctly, some of these freshmen could be in important roles during their senior, junior, and potentially even sophomore seasons.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Jaivian Thomas (21) runs the ball in the second quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The development of these young players is worth a lot in college football, and if they’ll allow it, I believe Chesney and UCLA could be a great place for them to grow into the kind of players they aspire to be.

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