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UCLA Football will be a much-improved team next season. In his first offseason as the UCLA football head coach, Bob Chesney completely changed the roster for the upcoming 2026 college football season.
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Chesney brought in 62 new faces to the roster, with 42 from the transfer portal and the rest from the 2026 high school class.
With so many new players on the roster, there will be battles for certain positions as players try to separate themselves and be the top guy on the team. There is one position battle that I am keeping a close eye on, and that is wide receiver.
The wide receiver room was not very good last season, with the leading receiver, Kwazi Gilmer, having 535 yards and two touchdowns. With Gilmer gone, Chesney needed to go into the portal and bring in three players who would compete to be the number one receiver on the team: Brian Rowe Jr., Leland Smith, and Landon Ellis.
Brian Rowe Jr
Rowe Jr was a four-star recruit coming into last season and was a player who was projected to make an immediate impact with South Carolina. However, he, along with South Carolina, did not have the season he had hoped for, with just 19 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown.
After a disappointing year with the Gamecocks, Rowe Jr entered the transfer portal and landed with Bob Chesney at UCLA, where he is viewed as a key player on offense. Rowe Jr is someone who can do a little of everything on the field. At 5-10, Rowe Jr has great speed, can run any route, and is also a good red-zone threat.
Leland Smith
Smith has been part of multiple schools and has worked his way up from starting his career at a Juco school to becoming a top option at San Jose State. Last year with the Spartans, he did not lead the Spartans in yards or receptions, but still had a great season with 43 receptions for 688 yards and three touchdowns.
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Smith is listed at 6-4 and 218 pounds and uses that frame to be the big-body target when on the field. Smith is a great player on the outside, with great speed to get past his defenders, and even on a fast corner, he can still use his size for jump balls.
Landon Ellis
Ellis spent his first two seasons of college football at the University of Richmond, and after success, he entered the transfer portal to play in a better conference. Ellis would wind up with Bob Chesney at James Madison, where he truly broke out as a player with 36 receptions, a team-high 624 yards, and five touchdowns.
After a very productive season with James Madison, Ellis followed Chesney to UCLA and is considered an instant starter at receiver. Ellis is a great route runner who can be put in the slot and is also dangerous after the catch.
Today’s best reads
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- UCLA’s Biggest X-Factor Heading Into Fall Camp
- What UCLA’s Iamaleava Must Do To Improve Future Stock
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as The Most Intriguing Position Battle at UCLA Camp.
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This story was originally published July 25, 2026 at 5:00 AM.