UCLA Starter Announces Intent to Return

It’s officially that time of the year. No, not the College Football Playoff, but rather it’s time for the NCAA transfer portal window to open up. Luckily for the UCLA Bruins, they’ll be retaining at least one key offensive piece in 2026.

Ahead of the transfer portal window officially opening on Jan. 2, Bruins offensive lineman Eugene Brooks took to X to announce his return to UCLA for the 2026 season. Brooks, a redshirt freshman, is opting to stay in Los Angeles with newly hired head coach Bob Chesney rather than hit the transfer portal.

Running it back with my guys! #4sUp @UCLAFootball @PrioritySports pic.twitter.com/Xo7ePEXPNq
— eugene L. brookss IV (@eugenebrooksss) January 1, 2026

Chesney was previously the head coach at James Madison, where he led the Dukes to a 12-2 record, and an appearance in the 2025 College Football Playoff. Now with the Bruins, he’ll be retaining an experienced, and young offensive lineman.

It’s not unusual to see many players depart for another program after undergoing a regime change, but Brooks is instilling enough trust in Chesney to remain in Los Angeles, and develop under him next season.

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 | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brooks is a transfer by way of Oklahoma, arriving at UCLA last season after redshirting his true freshman season at Oklahoma after just three games. He appeared in 11 games for UCLA in 2025, all starts, and was the only freshman starter on both offense and defense for the Bruins.

A former four-star recruit coming out of high school, Brooks has plenty of potential to be a key figure of a revamped Bruins offense under Chesney’s leadership in 2026.

Looking ahead, Brooks is sure to bring experience to a paltry offensive line that allowed quarterback Nico Iamaleava to be sacked 27 times this past season. Iamaleava has already announced his return to the Bruins for next season. With him, and now Brooks, returning for the 2026 season, the offense now at least has some continuity to count on.

Eugene Brooks — Nov 8, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Anthony Frias II (22) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with offensive lineman Julian Armella (74) during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As such, UCLA’s offense struggled to put points on the board, averaging just 18.2 points per game, good for 17th in the Big Ten. Additionally, the team accumulated just 319.9 total yards of offense per game.

The Bruins have already been hit hard by the transfer portal amidst the coaching change. Star wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, and linebacker Isaiah Chisom mark some of the more notable departures so far. Nonetheless, UCLA will look retain some of their younger talent such as Brooks, while also bringing in experienced transfer portal talent as they aim for a turnaround in 2026.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Bruins when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI to keep up with every story surrounding UCLA athletics! Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.