Week Nine: UCLA Bruins
Date & Time: Saturday, October 25th @ TBD Time
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: TBA
Bruins at a Glance
Head Coach: DeShaun Foster
Entering his 2nd season as UCLA head coach
Record at UCLA: 5-7
Last Season: 5-7 (3-6 in Big Ten)
Bruins Returning Leaders
Passing: No returning quarterbacks
Rushing: Jalen Berger (48 carries for 178 yards, 3.7 avg, 0 TD)
Receiving: Kwazi Gilmer (31 receptions for 345 yards, 2 TD)
Tackles: Siale Taupaki (23 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack)
Bruins Preseason Predictions
Athlon: 15th in Big Ten
Lindy’s: 13th in Big Ten
Phil Steele: T-14th in Big Ten
SP+: 51st Nationally
Impact Newcomers for the Bruins
QB Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)
RB Jaivian Thomas (Cal)
Edge Nico Davillier (Arkansas)
Biggest Questions Facing the Bruins
- Was what we saw at the end of last season a fluke, or is Foster starting to turn a corner with the Bruins?
- Is Nico Iamaleava worth the price tag?
- How do the Bruins go about replacing their ten top tacklers from last season?
Program Preview
The move to the Big Ten last season also came with a change at head coach after Chip Kelly opted to head to Ohio State for their offensive coordinator position. The move worked out well for Kelly, who went on to win the national championship, but the results were not quite as positive for the folks he left behind in California. The Bruins opted to hire DeShaun Foster, a former running back for the Bruins, to lead the team.
Foster and the Bruins got off to a poor start last season, narrowly escaping Hawaii before losing five consecutive games. The tides began to turn at the end of the season, however, when they won four of their last six and looked much more competent than they did in the first half of the season.
UCLA enters the 2025 season as a team with a rich football history – they have a national championship in 1954, have produced over 300 NFL Draft picks, and are in the top 30 FBS programs historically in terms of total wins – but this is a new college football landscape and they are still trying to find their place in it. With a lot of roster turnover, a second-year head coach, a (diva?) talented quarterback, and a preseason media prediction of a 15th place Big Ten finish, can the Bruins outperform their expectations?
Offensive Preview
Old friend Tino Sunseri joins the coaching staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bruins this season. And in a miraculous turn of events, Sunseri’s hair will not be the most interesting figure on the UCLA sideline; that will be Nico Iamaleava, the Tennessee transfer and #1 ranked prospect in this offseason’s transfer portal. Iamaleava made headlines after demanding more NIL money from the Volunteers, who opted instead to let him walk. He made like Chappel Roan and left Tennessee for California, where he will look to improve upon a rocky first season as a full-time starter in college football. He finished the year completing 213 of his 334 passes for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. If Sunseri is able to limit the off-field drama and hone in to the immense talent that Nico has, as he was able to do with Kurtis Rourke last season, then the UCLA offense could be a force.
The issues with the UCLA offense are likely to come away from the quarterback position, however, as the receiving core is a bit thin and the running game last season finished 132nd nationally. Pass protection was a real issue last year, but if Iamaleava has the time to find Cal transfer Mikey Matthews, Arkansas transfer Jaedon Wilson, or returning receivers Kwazi Gilmer and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, the passing attack could find its stride. The offensive line will also have a few new faces, among them being Courtland Ford (Kentucky), Julian Armella (Florida State), and Eugene Brooks (Oklahoma).
Foster is hoping his roster can vastly improve in the rushing game this season. He’ll have two tailbacks he’s excited about the potential of in Jalen Berger and Cal transfer Jaivian Thomas. Thomas appeared in 20 games last season for the Golden Bears, rushing for 626 yards and seven touchdowns. Berger is a Big Ten stalwart, entering his sixth season with his third Big Ten team (UCLA, Michigan State, and Wisconsin). He served in mostly a reserve role last year, adding 178 yards on 48 carries and 10 receptions, two of which were turned into touchdowns.
Defensive Preview
The defensive staff was completely overhauled this offseason despite improvement down the stretch last season; the UCLA defense allowed 21 points or fewer in five of their last seven games. The roster will look entirely different as well, as all ten of the Bruins top tacklers from last season either transferred, exhausted eligibility, or will now be playing on Sundays.
The biggest losses will come at linebacker as the Bruins will need to replace All-American Carson Schwesinger and All-Big Ten Kain Medrano, a pair that combined for 208 total tackles last year. Jalen Woods, JonJon Vaughns, and Oregon State transfer Isaiah Chisom will be tasked with replacing this production.
If the Bruins are to be successful, it will start with their rushing defense. They finished the season last year ranked 6th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (96.17). Gary Smith III missed all of last season due to injury but he will return after being a strong interior defensive lineman in the past. Siale Tupaki will step into a larger role as he enters his seventh season of college football, of which he has switched back and forth from offensive and defensive line. Edge rushers may once again be an issue for the Bruins, as after the first two on their depth chart (Nico Davillier and Anthony Jones) the roster quickly falls to three-star true freshmen.
The trouble with the defense last year came in the secondary, where the Bruins finished 108th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (244.7). The secondary will rely heavily on transfers like Bryon Threats (UCF), Key Lawrence (Ole Miss), Andre Jordan Jr. (Oregon State), and old friend Jamier Johnson (Indiana). It is an entire remake in the secondary and their success will fully depend on how the unit is able to gel together.
Special Teams Preview
UCLA brings back Bailey McElwain to run their special teams unit this season after he spent a year with Washington last season. At his disposal will be Mateen Bhaghani, a junior kicker who played in all 12 games last season and has 22 games of experience over his collegiate career. He nailed 20 of 24 field goals last year and was perfect in PAT attempts (20-for-20). McElwain should also have a reliable punter, Tulane transfer Will Karoll. Last year, Bhaghani handled punting duties as well as place kicking, so this should lighten the load. Karoll punted 42 times for 1,796 yards last season (42.8 avg) and 11 of his punts were downed inside the 20.
2025 FIRST GLANCE PREVIEWS
Week One: Old Dominion
Week Two: Kennesaw State
Week Three: Indiana State
Week Four: Illinois Fighting Illini
Week Five: Iowa Hawkeyes
Week Seven: Oregon Ducks
Week Eight: Michigan State Spartans