UCLA's Key Metric for Improving Offense in 2026

There's no sugarcoating it. UCLA's offense was abysmal in 2025, as the Bruins struggled to stay competitive in the Big Ten despite the brief positivity that followed a midseason coaching change.

After the season was over, UCLA parted ways with that staff and opted for a group of coaches that, on the surface at least, appear well-suited to turn that weakness into a strength, bringing a more dynamic and exciting identity to the gridiron.

"I think the biggest thing is explosive," offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy told reporters when asked to describe the offensive philosophy. "We talk about explosive plays a lot, and that's one of the key factors, in our opinion, of how [we play]. It's the second stat that can define wins and losses from an offensive standpoint."

Defining Explosive Plays

Generally speaking, college football fans know what an explosive play looks like, but coaches across the sport often have their own definitions. The widely accepted definition is any run play over 10 yards and any pass play over 15, but Kennedy narrows that down to more exact measurements -- considering explosive runs at 12 yards or more and explosive passes at 16 and beyond.

ucla footbal — Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) carries the ball against Southern California Trojans safety Kennedy Urlacher (28) in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The overall goal is to get at least 10 explosive plays per game, which just makes too much sense considering the team with the most explosive plays in a game leaves victorious over 80% of the time.

After hearing that, it's clear why their stint at JMU was so successful, especially when it came to running the football and scoring points. That should easily excite a UCLA fanbase that saw its team average 18 points per game and get nearly doubled-up week-in and week-out in 2025, and with all the personnel changes this offseason and a great talent at quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, there's potential for a quick turnaround if they strike the right chords.

“WE ALL EAT” 🍽️@ColinLockett15 🤝 @_mjmatt8 #4sup pic.twitter.com/7zi6mSkpvE
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 9, 2026

Kennedy Has the Personality To Match

There might be no one more suited, from a personality standpoint, to run this new UCLA offense than Dean Kennedy. Explosive schemes require plenty of energy, and he has it in spades. He approaches practice every day with so much excitement that he constantly has to be on the move.

"I just like to pace. I don't like standing still," he explained. "I've got the attention span of a two-year-old, so I like to just keep walking around."

Whether it's intentional or not, that's the perfect embodiment of what this coaching staff envisions for its offense, because when you're constantly on the move, the other side can't rest, and that's another way to get explosive plays when it counts.