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As you would expect, UCLA’s 2026 football schedule features many talented and formidable opponents and players, from the nonconference slate through Big Ten play.
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Each team has at least one player who has the ability to take over a game and become a deciding factor, which the Bruins will likely key on to shut down the opposing team and give themselves a better chance to win.
Here are five opposing players UCLA fans should know before they take on the Bruins this season.
Oregon QB Dante Moore
We start with an obviously familiar name for UCLA. Bruins’ fans know Moore all too well, as he was their starting quarterback as a freshman in 2023. He was a 5-star recruit with high expectations as one of the best high school players in the country, but his season in Westwood was a mixed bag. Every moment of brilliance was met with equal amounts of ineptitude, and he finished the year with 1,610 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
However, Moore had previously committed to Oregon and took the opportunity to transfer amid UCLA’s coaching change. He sat behind Dillon Gabriel with the Ducks before taking over as the starting signal-caller last season.
In his first year as Oregon’s starter, he displayed much of the potential many had previously seen in him, throwing for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while leading Oregon to another College Football Playoff and joining the conversation for potentialfuture first-round NFL quarterbacks.
Michigan QB Bryce Underwood
Underwood is a similar player to Moore in that they were both “can’t miss,” high-potential quarterback prospects who underwhelmed in their college debut seasons and flipped schools late in the recruiting process. Underwood had committed to LSU before flipping to the Wolverines in his home state.
The Detroit native threw for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions — eerily similar to Moore’s freshman season. He also added 392 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, but his performance was well below expectations. With a new coaching staff in place, many are wondering whether Underwood will take a step forward or fall out of favor in 2026.
Minnesota RB Darius Taylor
Minnesota has a quietly consistent Big Ten football program under PJ Fleck, and players like Taylor are a big reason for that. The former 3-star recruit from Walled Lake, Michigan, had 32 scholarship offers, mostly from mid-tier Power Conference programs and Group of Six schools.
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In three years at Minnesota, he’s now run for 2,455 yards and 19 touchdowns, but doesn’t receive nearly the national praise that players with similar production do at bigger, more prominent programs. The 2025 season was his worst yet, so he’ll be determined to bounce back in 2026.
Illinois DB Xavier Scott
A big reason for Illinois’ success over recent seasons has been the emergence of its secondary, and Xavier Scott has been one of its leaders. He was expected to be among the Big Ten’s prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft, but an injury that held him to just three games in 2025 gave him another season of college eligibility.
That’s a huge plus for the Fighting Illini, as they must replace several other key players on both sides of the ball. When healthy, Scott has consistently been among the Big Ten’s leaders in passes defended, and his 2024 campaign saw him finish in the top 15 nationally in interceptions.
Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Sagapolutele was one of the most significant freshman contributors in the country last season, bursting onto the scene with 3,454 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions as the Golden Bears finished with a 7-6 record and a win over Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
Only Jared Goff has had a better debut season at quarterback for the Cal program, and he eventually became the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, excelling with the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions. Sagapolutele finished the regular season with career-highs against SMU and was among the ACC and national leaders in completions, completions per game, and 200-yard passing games.
Entering the 2026 season, he’s also just seven passing attempts shy of tying Goff’s program record of consecutive passes without an interception.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as 5 Opposing Football Players UCLA Fans Should Know in 2026.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 4:00 AM.