5 Areas Where UCLA Football Can Improve in 2026

The past few seasons of UCLA football have been difficult, as the Bruins have struggled to adjust and compete during their first two years in the Big Ten Conference.

There were many struggles across all phases in 2025, and the new coaching staff and roster additions are hoping to deliver better results in 2026.

Here are a few areas that need to improve for the Bruins to have a successful season.

1. Rushing Offense

It could've been worse, but UCLA's running game was not good in 2025. It ranked 85th nationally with 139.7 yards per game, and the most telling statistic may have been the individual rushing numbers. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the Bruins' leading rusher with 505 rushing yards. That should be worrisome. Not only do you not want your quarterback to have to run that often and take the hits, but at least three running backs were also used throughout the season, and they couldn't do better.

Luckily, the new coaching staff knows a little bit about engineering a successful rushing offense and orchestrating its scheme around a mobile quarterback that doesn't necessarily need to run. James Madison had the country's sixth-best rushing attack last season, averaging 241.5 yards per game. Leading JMU rusher Wayne Knight is among the offseason additions to UCLA's backfield, so he should help things as well, but the offensive line will need to do its job.

A good running game would also take pressure off Iamaleava and potentially unlock the next level fo his game.

2. Scoring Offense

UCLA also ranked among the nation's worst scoring offenses last season, averaging just 18.2 points per game (tied for 123rd among 134 FBS programs). There were plenty of elite defenses in the Big Ten that could take some of the credit, but the Bruins were largely unprepared to compete.

Iamaleava and Chesney both have experience with high-scoring offenses, and their pairing in this scheme could work well. Iamaleava has a skill set similar to that of past Chesney quarterbacks, and the Bruins have focused on building an offense around him, filled with playmakers.

Will it lead to more points in 2026?

3. Turnovers and Turnover Margin

One area that could improve the Bruins' success on both sides of the ball is their turnover margin (or simply their ability to cause more turnovers). UCLA finished 2025 with a -3 turnover margin, finishing near the bottom of the country with just 10 turnovers caused (four interceptions and six fumble recoveries) in 12 games. Only three total players came up with an interception for the Bruins last fall.

Addressing the issue, UCLA brought in plenty of reinforcements, starting with JMU transfer DJ Barksdale, who has four interceptions and 14 pass breakups over the last two seasons. Overall, the Bruins added seven experienced defensive backs through the transfer portal, most of whom made a bigger impact than anyone on the previous roster.

Improvements here could lead to more possessions and opportunities, which the offense has shown it sorely needs.

4. Offensive Line Play

The UCLA offensive line took the brunt of the blame for any of Iamaleava's struggles last season, as he was seemingly running for his life and having to improvise the play whenever he dropped back to pass. The Bruins were among the worst in the country at protecting their quarterback, allowing 27 sacks (2.25 per game).

The one thing the offensive line did have going for it was its run blocking. While we've noted the UCLA rushing attack wasn't spectacular, most of its plays were positive. The Bruins ranked among the top 50 in the country in tackles for loss (TFL) allowed to opponents, one of their few statistical bright spots.

Still, UCLA set out to address the trenches this offseason and landed eight new offensive linemen in the transfer portal, three of whom started for JMU and figure to slide into the starting lineup for the Bruins. They also got an additional boost on Wednesday, when South Alabama transfer Jordan Davis was granted another season of eligibility.

5. Explosiveness

The most significant area for improvement that could help UCLA is increasing the number of explosive plays from its offense, and that has been an emphasis from the coaching staff this offseason. It's a metric they've used to evaluate the offense's efficiency, and they've even redefined explosiveness to fit their agenda.

The stated goal from the spring is at least 10 explosive plays per game, consisting of runs of 12 or more yards and passes of 16 or more. If they can hit that mark, many of the other improvements will come through naturally. But that also requires other elements, like offensive line play, to be firing on all cylinders.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as 5 Areas Where UCLA Football Can Improve in 2026.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:30 AM.