UCLA Football Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 13

New UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney has done a great job rebuilding the Bruins for the upcoming 2026 college football season.

Bob Chesney brought in 42 players through the transfer portal, and most are projected to make an impact on the team next year. Players like running back Wayne Knight and edge rusher Sahir West will be key contributors to the offense and defense.

For Wayne Knight, specifically, he needs a good offensive line to block for him and create open gaps. Nobody does that better than the No. 13 player on our list of the top 30 players for the upcoming season, Eugene Brooks. Chesney did not need to recruit from the transfer portal, as he was a lone bright spot along the Bruins' terrible offensive line from last season.

Eugene Brooks out of High School

Coming out of high school, Brooks was a highly touted offensive guard prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Brooks would play for Desert Pines, his hometown school in Las Vegas, Nevada, for his first two years of high school football. In those two seasons with the Jaguars, Brooks quickly became one of the better up-and-coming young guards on the squad, demonstrating his physicality, especially as a run-blocking left guard.

UCLA offensive lin — Aug 30, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; UCLA Bruins offensive linemen line up against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After his sophomore season, Brooks would decide to transfer to play against tougher competition, ultimately choosing Sierra Canyon in California.

With the Trailblazers, he would not live up to the expectations that were placed upon him, but would excel as the starting left guard. Brooks would be a key blocker along the offensive line for the Trailblazers, as he would be named All-CIF Southern Section Division II honors, All-Mission League Most Valuable Lineman, and named to the 2022 L.A. Times All-Star Football Team.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; A general overall view of helmets at the line of scrimmage as UCLA Bruins center Riley Robell (50) snaps the ball during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brooks would have another spectacular season with Sierra Canyon as a senior, being named an Under Armour All-American, a CalHiSports All-State nominee, a Daily News All-Area First Team, and helping lead the Trailblazers to two straight Mission League titles in his two seasons.

Being arguably the best offensive lineman on one of the best high school teams in the country, Brooks would be very highly ranked on most recruiting sites. 247Sports had him ranked the highest out of the major sites, as he was ranked 73rd overall in the 2024 high school class, the third-best offensive guard, and the seventh-best player in the state of California.

Dec 9, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Bob Chesney is introduced as UCLA Bruins football coach at press conference at Renee Luskin Conference Center Centennial Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With that high of a rating, there were plenty of suitors for Brooks, as he was being recruited from the likes of Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oregon, USC, and many more. However, it would be Oklahoma that would land him, as it seemed like a perfect fit.

Brooks at Oklahoma

Oklahoma has been struggling along the offensive line for the past three years. Quarterbacks would be sacked near the top of the SEC, and the running game for the Sooners just wouldn't be as effective.

In the 2023 season, the Sooners seemingly improved their pass protection, allowing QB Dillon Gabriel to be sacked just 17 times, and their running back, Gavin Sawchuk, rushed for 744 yards and nine touchdowns.

Brooks would commit to Oklahoma as the Sooners had the 12th-ranked recruiting class, and he would be the third-ranked player in the class, behind 5-star defensive tackle David Stone and 4-star running back Taylor Tatum.

Being ranked as the third-highest player in the class, there were expectations for him to potentially make an impact along the offensive line. Sadly, even though the Sooners had a very disappointing 6-6 record in the regular season, Brooks wouldn't find much playing time.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins offensive lineman Hall Schmidt (65) defends against defensive lineman Sahir West (15) during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brooks would only appear in three games, and they were the first three games of the season against Temple, Houston, and Tulane, and would see snaps along the special teams.

After playing in only three games, Brooks redshirted, entered the transfer portal, and later returned to California to play for UCLA.

Brooks at UCLA

Brooks would return to California, where he had his best years of high school at Sierra Canyon.

At UCLA, DeShaun Foster was trying to rebuild the Bruins' offensive line. UCLA’s offensive line was a decent unit, but it was losing key pieces to graduation and to the transfer portal.

Brooks would come to UCLA and would be an immediate starter as the left guard, and would be the lone bright spot along the poor offensive line.

UCLA as a team would struggle, as DeShaun Foster would be let go as head coach after losing their first three games, in which they were the favorites in two of the three.

Transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava would struggle at UCLA, posting less than 2,000 yards passing with only 13 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Iamaleava would also struggle to stay upright, as he was sacked 27 times last season.

While Iamaleava was the fourth-most-sacked QB in the Big Ten, it wasn't because of Brooks, as he only allowed three sacks in the 11 games that he played and started in.

What Brooks Brings to a Bob Chesney Offense

Bob Chesney and his staff love to use the running game as the focal point of the offense.

At James Madison, Chesney relied on running back Wayne Knight, who had the seventh-most rushing yards in college football with 1,373 and nine touchdowns. Chesney would also have a quarterback who can be a threat in the running game, with Alonza Barnett III, who had 589 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.

Eugene Brooks is an amazing run blocker on the offensive line, as he can dominate defensive tackles and move up on the line, creating holes for running backs.

The Bruins last year did not have a good offensive line, and it put a lot of pressure on Brooks to create space for running backs without much help. Now, with a much-improved line with Hall Schmidt projected to start right next to him as the left tackle, he will be able to have some of that pressure taken off and be much more effective as a run blocker.

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