Nico Iamaleava Helped Sell Landon Ellis On Turning Ucla Football Into A Winner

The UCLA shot squad held a spirited believe astatine Spaulding Field connected Thursday and it was afloat of nan power and enthusiasm caller Bruins coach Bob Chesney wanted to spot arsenic nan squad continues to ramp up successful mentation for its outpouring crippled connected May 2 astatine nan Rose Bowl.

Receiver Landon Ellis and wrong linebacker Sammy Omosigho, elder transfers who played successful nan 2025 College Football Playoff, person emerged arsenic beardown contributors during outpouring workouts.

Ellis, a 6-foot-1, 212-pounder from Woodberry Forest, Va., is 1 of 10 players (six connected offense, 4 connected defense) who reunited pinch Chesney aft playing for him astatine James Madison past play erstwhile nan Dukes won their first Sun Belt Conference title and vanished 12-2.

“My sojourn really sealed nan woody and I had a full twelvemonth pinch each those guys and Coach Chesney and astir of his unit — it’s nan astir nosy I’ve ever had playing shot and I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old,” said Ellis, who entered nan portal December 28 and transferred to UCLA connected January 7. “I went connected immoderate different visits and saw immoderate different options but I realized successful nan extremity why would I want to spell anyplace other knowing really overmuch joyousness I get playing for him and his people?”

Thursday marked nan Bruins’ seventh believe convention since Chesney took complete connected Dec. 6, aft which he announced 10 caller adjunct coaches, including violative coordinator Dean Kennedy and protect coordinator Colin Hitschler, some of whom were connected Chesney’s unit astatine JMU.

“We did a beautiful bully occupation today,” Ellis said. “We were a small sloppy astatine times but our power was beautiful good. It’s each peaks and valleys — that’s football.”

Ellis likes nan competitory ambiance Chesney brings to nan program.

“It’s ever fun, we compete and that’s nan sanction of nan game,” said Ellis, who caught 36 passes for 624 yards and 5 touchdowns successful 13 games a twelvemonth ago, averaging a team-high 17.3 yards per catch. “Every high-level shot subordinate wants to compete astatine each times. That’s what we do, that’s what he preaches time successful and time out. You tin perceive it pinch him and pinch everybody astir him and that’s nan situation you want to play in.”

James Madison mislaid to Oregon 51-34 successful Eugene successful nan first information of nan CFP connected December 20 — a time Ellis remembers well.

“My biggest takeaway from that crippled is they’re quality — nan people didn’t bespeak it each nan clip but we moved nan shot connected them beautiful good offensively,” said Ellis, who had 3 catches for 83 yards against nan Ducks, including a 50-yard reception. “It proved we tin play astatine that level we compete pinch those guys if you’re doing week successful and week retired you’re going to raise to that level if you do it nan correct way. We’ll get to spot teams for illustration that each nan clip [in nan Big Ten]. I’m really excited for it and fresh for nan competition.”

Receiver Landon Ellis had a beardown play pinch James Madison past year. He followed Bob Chesney to UCLA for this season.

(Mark Ylen / Associated Press)

Los Angeles is simply a agelong measurement from Harrisonburg, Va. (where JMU is located) and Ellis, on pinch chap accomplishment position transfers Wayne Knight (running back) and tight extremity Josh Phifer, is learning to mesh pinch a caller group. Handling nan civilization displacement has been a challenge.

“It’s crazy — a nighttime and time difference,” Ellis admitted. “There’s a batch to spell sightseeing. You spot a batch of celebrated people, a batch of large names retired here. I still get starstruck sometimes going places and seeing people, it’s a polar other from wherever I’m from, but I wouldn’t inquire for thing else.”

Ellis is processing a adjacent enslaved pinch Bruins backmost Nico Iamaleava, who is helping him acclimate to his caller environment.

“He told maine immoderate spots wherever to go, wherever not to go,” Ellis said. “Actually his locker is correct adjacent to mine, truthful I talk to him each nan time. He’s a awesome guy. I met him connected my visit, we sat down and ate meal and he sat correct adjacent to maine truthful I sewage to study astir him a small bit. He’s been successful California his full life isolated from for his stint successful Tennessee and I’ve been successful Virginia, truthful we ne'er crossed paths but it’s been a existent joyousness to get to cognize him and his brother. They’re awesome people.”

UCLA protect backmost Logan Hirou during outpouring practice.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Iamaleava and his younger relative Madden starred astatine Warren High successful Downey and are now teammates astatine UCLA, Madden having returned to nan Southland past April aft participating successful outpouring believe astatine Arkansas.

Ellis admires nan passion and win-first mentality Nico Iamaleava brings to his position. The redshirt inferior threw for 1,928 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 505 yards and 4 scores successful 2025, his first play astatine UCLA.

“Before we sewage retired here, he’s jawing pinch nan defense and that energy, that occurrence that he brings astatine backmost is thing I’ve ne'er had before,” Ellis said. “When he comes retired present connected nan section he’s moving nan show. All he talked astir connected my sojourn was really he wanted to triumph and really he wanted to move this point around. That’s different logic why I felt comfortable coming complete present because I felt we had that leader already present and we’re going to beryllium capable to get this programme to nan adjacent level.”

Coach Kennedy describes UCLA’s violative arsenic explosive and Ellis agrees.

“If you look successful nan receiver room we’ve sewage each skillset you could inquire for and it’s nan aforesaid pinch nan moving backs,” Ellis said. “We’re heavy astatine O-line, heavy astatine tight extremity — they tin do everything — we’ve sewage beingness guys. What do you want? It’s Amazon. We’ve sewage immoderate you need.”

Sammy Omosigho was coagulated connected defense for Oklahoma past season. He’s now pinch nan Bruins.

(Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

Omosigho, a 6-1, 235-pounder from Crandall, Texas, spent 3 seasons astatine Oklahoma earlier entering nan portal January 8 and transferring to UCLA 4 days later.

“Opportunity is why I came here,” Omosigho said. “Coach Chesney has been a victor wherever he’s gone. He’s a man of character. It conscionable clicked erstwhile I met him. He’s a awesome feline and I want to play for him.”

Omosigho has tons of crippled action nether his belt. In his 3 seasons successful Norman he had 97 tackles, 4 walk deflections, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

“I’m bringing experience,” he said. “When you play astatine a definite level you bring it wherever you go. I wanted an accrued role, I want to beryllium capable to showcase what I person and I person nan opportunity to do it here.”

Omosigho made 3 tackles successful Oklahoma’s 34-24 nonaccomplishment to Alabama successful nan first information of nan CFP successful December. The Sooners vanished 10-3 (6-2 successful nan SEC) nether Brent Venables and Omosigho recorded 50 tackles (28 solo) and had 2 sacks.

Linebackers coach Viv So’oto, who joined Chesney’s unit aft 4 seasons astatine Cal, is already connected his 2nd nickname for Omosigho, calling him “Sammy Soup.”

“He’s a jokester, he’s ever sewage a nickname for me,” Omosigho said of So’oto, who coached for 2 seasons astatine USC (2020-21). “He brings nan champion retired of us. He’s not frightened to make nan difficult corrections.”

As for his caput coach, Omosigho has witnessed nan hands-on attack Chesney is known for.

“I’ve seen similar, but not arsenic overmuch Coach Chesney,” Omosigho said. “He lived pinch america successful wintertime workouts. I’ve ne'er seen that before. I’m complete present doing my reps, I rack my weight, look to my near and he’s doing his reps… I’m for illustration ‘okay.’ That’s nan benignant of feline he is.”

Omosigho believes nan linebacking corp is fresh to dominate.

“It’s each astir taking nan adjacent measurement to beryllium a awesome defense,” he said. “Players person to bargain in. If nan players don’t person nan energy, nan coach can’t bring it retired of you. Having nan players bargain successful makes it that overmuch much fun.”

Coming from nan Midwest, Omosigho was asked to sanction his “welcome to L.A.” moment.

“Traffic and parking,” he said. “You person nary parking and if location is parking you person to salary for it. Besides that, it has been a blast. You can’t hit nan beaches and this beautiful campus. The weather’s been great.”

Softball’s Jordan Woolery lights up Cal

UCLA elder Jordan Woolery was connected occurrence a doubleheader against California astatine Easton Stadium connected Saturday.

She went a mixed 6-for-7 pinch 4 location runs, 10 RBIs and 5 runs scored crossed nan 2 wins. Woolery became nan 5th subordinate successful NCAA softball history to grounds 100 RBIs successful a season.

With Woolery’s help, nan No. 9 Bruins (41-5) earned 13-5 and 9-1 wins complete nan Golden Bears (13-3) successful games shortened to 5 innings apiece.

Baseball notches seventh consecutive Big Ten sweep

Roman Martin and Will Gasparino deed location runs that helped No. 1 UCLA shot gain a 5-2 triumph complete Minnesota connected Sunday to complete nan Bruins’ seventh consecutive Big Ten sweep.

UCLA bounced backmost from a Tuesday nighttime location nonaccomplishment to UC Santa Barbara, snapping nan Bruins’ nation-leading 27-game triumph streak. UCLA had not mislaid since Feb. 24 and group a programme grounds for astir consecutive wins.

Jordan Chiles wins an individual title, but squad crown is elusive

The infinitesimal Jordan Chiles had to hop of nan uneven bars and commencement her regular complete again, it was clear it wasn’t UCLA’s nighttime during nan NCAA semifinals.

The Bruins rallied, but they did not gain capable points to scope nan NCAA finals.

Chiles won nan level all-around medal, capping 1 of nan top gymnastics careers successful UCLA history and elevating expectations wrong a programme that is still waiting to observe its first nationalist title since 2018.

In lawsuit you missed it

In a large surprise, Jordan Chiles and UCLA neglect to make NCAA gymnastics final

UCLA gymnastics focused connected delivering Bruins’ adjacent nationalist title

Coach Bob Chesney points to UCLA’s improved defense during outpouring football

Joyful UCLA dominates WNBA draught connected record-setting night

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