Bruin Report Online: A UCLA Athletics podcast

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy begin their preview of fall camp with an in-depth look at the offense heading into August. We talked about the quarterbacks, and how we see the backup quarterback competition between Madden Iamaleava and Ty Dieffenbach shaking out. We also talked about the quality of the overall depth chart at the position. We then discussed the running backs, which might be the deepest position group on the team in 2026. The starter, though, is still an open question, with three viable contenders, which we discuss. We moved onto the receiving corps, where we are excited to watch Leland Smith, who is hopefully healthy for fall camp after being dinged up in the spring. We also talked about Brian Rowe and Landon Ellis, who will be the other two in the starting lineup. But we also touched on the rest of the depth chart, where UCLA probably has six to seven guys who are obviously playable at this level. We touched on the tight end group, where we expect Josh Phifer to start, and then we expect a competition between Brayden Loftin and Noah Fox-Flores as the pass-catcher in the group. We wrapped up with the offensive line, where there are still question marks at several spots. We're pretty confident in Riley Robell at center, and that two of Eugene Brooks, Carter Sweazie, and Julian Armella will start at the guard spots, and that some combination of Jordan Davis, Hall Schmidt, and JD Dean will start at tackle, but who exactly, and how well they'll play, is a big question. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO Recruiting pod, Brandon Huffman and Tracy McDannald put a bow on the almost-completed 2027 UCLA football recruiting class. The podcast includes: -A rundown on the recent BRO story about UCLA’s five biggest 2027 recruiting wins. Plus, others who could have just as easily made the cut. -A discussion about Tracy Pierson's story on the programs UCLA has gone up against and held its own on the recruiting trail. Includes why Penn State could be a bit of a sneaky out-of-state battle to monitor in the coming years because of the respective staffs and their history on the opposite coast. -Wrapped it up with one of the few things remaining to be seen: How UCLA’s attendance and game atmosphere for recruits visiting the Rose Bowl changes under Chesney’s direction in the upcoming season. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO Recruiting Pod, Tracy McDannald and Brandon Huffman talk about the latest in UCLA football recruiting, including: -Wait continues on Brady Edmunds’ decision -Our thoughts on the UCLA targets we saw in Huntington Beach and Hawaii this past weekend. -UCLA commits in updated Rivals300 -Why it’s not too late for JuJu Johnson to earn a fifth star from Rivals -A look back at Myles Baker’s flip after Tracy's conversation with his father. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about Nikola Kusturica's commitment, his anticipated impact in 2026, what 5-in-5 means for the roster, and then discuss the 30 most important Bruins countdown. We led off with a discussion of Kusturica's commitment, which was a long time coming. We then talked about the impact of his addition to the roster, and what it means for other players to not have to play out of position in 2026, since Kusturica will take 20-25 minutes per game at the wing. We then talked about Kusturica as a player and how, even at 17, he might be able to make a significant impact as a freshman thanks to his advanced skillset, unique physical ability, and toughness. We talked also about the importance of everyone, including Mick Cronin, being patient with Kusturica as he grows into the college game. We also talked about Kusturica's two-year deal, and how that dovetails nicely with the new 5-in-5 rule, which could allow the Bruins to retain this group of players pretty much intact for the next two seasons. We also talked about the possibility of adding yet another player, if certain lawsuits go forward over the coming days. We closed with a discussion of the 30 most important Bruins list, and how we are rounding into the top 5. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy break down the flip of Myles Baker from Cal to UCLA, the status of Nikola Kusturica's recruitment, and then go heavy on position battles we're anticipating heading into fall camp in a month. We led off discussing Baker's recruitment and what a coup it was for UCLA to land him away from Cal. We talked a bit about Baker as a player, and then talked about the good job the UCLA football staff has done in recruiting this cycle. We then discussed Nikola Kusturica, and Tracy's call that he'll end up committing to UCLA. We talked about his performance in the ongoing FIBA tournament, and also talked about some of his athletic attributes and his skillset. Finally, we dove into some of the eagerly anticipated position battles for this upcoming fall camp for UCLA football. The Bruins still have a lot of spots to iron out, particularly along the offensive line, at running back, at defensive tackle, and at the second linebacker spot. We broke down ten different position battles, and our expectations for each. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Moments after UCLA secured a flip in the commitment of 2027 four-star in-state safety Myles Baker, the latest edition of the BRO recruiting podcast with Tracy McDannald and Rivals recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman broke down how the addition bolstered UCLA's first class under new head coach Bob Chesney. Plus, an overview of the entire class, with a decision from four-star Ohio State quarterback commit Brady Edmunds still pending. Also, our picks for the recruiting MVPs on the staff and some superlatives handed out to some of the Bruins' commits. As the recruiting calendar quiets down, a look ahead at some camps and events -- both locally and out of state -- coming up that will feature UCLA targets in future classes. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about Nikola Kusturica's recruitment, the state of the basketball roster, and football recruiting. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Tracy rejoins Dave to talk about how football recruiting could finish, the recruitment of Nikola Kusturica in basketball, and our 30 most important Bruins countdown. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO recruiting podcast, we touched on the OT7 Finals and number of UCLA targets who used the time in the area to also visit campus. We also talked about yesterday's UCLA camp with 55 recruits at the invite-only camp. Then, we wrapped it up with looking ahead to the official visits this weekend. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave goes solo once again to discuss the UCLA football roster update, the basketball recruiting events this week, and the 30 most important Bruins countdown. Starting with the roster update, I went through some of the notables from the roster, including some speculation about what it might mean for certain receivers, defensive backs, offensive linemen, and defensive linemen. Also, just generally: these heights/weights actually look pretty accurate based on our eye test, unlike some thing from previous eras. Next, I talked about the NBPA Top 100 camp and the Section 7 high school event this weekend, and some of the notable names that UCLA will be watching at each event. I also talked about how to balance high school recruiting and transfer recruiting with Mick Cronin in basically constant win now mode. Finally, I touched on the beginning of our 30 most important Bruins countdown, and discussed the lack of complete consensus on a lot of the list between our votes. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO recruiting podcast, Tracy McDannald and Brandon Huffman talk about UCLA football's official visit weekend, the state of quarterback recruiting, a linebacker commitment adding an official visit to a Big Ten opponent, and the prospect camp this weekend on UCLA's campus. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave goes solo to talk about the commitment of Latvian wing Gunars Grinvalds, UCLA football adding a big official visitor for this weekend, and the end of the season for UCLA baseball and softball. I talked for a while about what to make of the Grinvalds commitment, and whether he has the potential to make an instant impact in year one. At 18 years old, it makes the most sense to think about Grinvalds as the equivalent of landing a high school senior, and not a five-star, but one of those developmental four-stars we're always talking about. I also talked about the UCLA football team adding a couple more official visitors to the list this weekend, most notably five-star athlete Xavier Sabb. Whether the Bruins land Sabb still seems a little far-fetched, but the simple fact that they've gotten him to take a trip to Westwood speaks to the sea change in recruiting in Westwood. Finally, I touched on the end of the road for both UCLA baseball and UCLA softball. The tragic vagaries of the sport caught up with the baseball team, but the softball team made it all the way to the College World Series before bowing out. Both programs, though, probably need an infusion of NIL resources if they're going to stay competitive at the highest level going forward. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO recruiting podcast, Greg Biggins joined Brandon Huffman to beak down last weekend’s UCLA football official visitors, preview this upcoming visit slate, and recap the Elite 11, including two UCLA commits who caught passes at the event. Plus, with two UCLA targets at the Elite 11, could a third potential quarterback emerge from that group? Biggins and Huff discuss. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast Mailbag, Dave goes deep, answering all your questions about Tounde Yessoufou, the basketball program, and where things go from here, with some occasional palate-cleansing football and Star Wars questions. I answered all your questions to the best of my ability about Tounde Yessoufou, what went wrong for UCLA in the recruitment, why the Bruins were unable to close on their priority targets in the portal, how all of that portends for this season, what it means for Mick Cronin's job status, and every single permutation of those situations that you all, exhaustively, asked about. I also answered questions about football recruiting, the offense, Nico Iamaleava, Bob Chesney at UCLA, which were all a nice palate cleanser after discussing basketball for an absurd amount of time. This thing ran two hours, but I somehow found time for a 10-minute soliloquy about Star Wars content and why more things in that universe should be made by people who have apathy or disdain for Star Wars, and fewer things made by fanboys. You can listen to the whole thing here. If anything doesn't make sense, blame my brain liquefying at the 45 minute mark. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of BRO's UCLA Football recruiting podcast, Brandon Huffman and Tracy McDannald previewed the Elite 11 and UCLA's upcoming official visit weekend, and then also talked about the UCLA staff's energy on the recruiting trail in 2028. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about the basketball transfer class as it's currently constituted and then discuss the final missing pieces in UCLA's football recruiting class. We led off with a discussion of the basketball transfer recruiting class as it is presently constituted. While UCLA still had irons in the fire with a few prospects -- including NBA Draft hopeful Tounde Yessoufou -- the program did announce its four transfers who have already signed this week, so we thought it would be a good time to take a larger look at the roster. As it stands right now, there are still two key missing pieces on the roster -- the three and the five -- and filling at least one of the two is going to be critical for fielding a roster capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. We then shifted gears to football recruiting, where the Bruins have obviously been very successful in Bob Chesney's first full cycle. Tracy talked about some of the missing pieces on the roster, including offensive tackle, and how UCLA might go about filling those holes. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BRO recruiting podcast, Tracy McDannald and Brandon Huffman talked about UCLA football's first official visit recruiting weekend and much more. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about how their thinking on the UCLA football depth chart has changed since the end of spring, give their thoughts on the upcoming official visit weekend, and then discuss a little about Tounde Yessoufou's decision between the NBA Draft and returning to college. We go position-by-position through the UCLA football depth chart now that we've had a little distance from the spring, breaking down the adjustments we've made from our mid-spring depth chart and why those adjustments have been made. We then talked about Tracy's story on the massive transformation Bob Chesney has already put together with UCLA football, and then talked a bit about where we stand on UCLA's over/under win total projection for 2026. We discussed the upcoming official visit weekend as well, with multiple key commitments as well as a few quality targets arriving on campus Friday. Finally, we touched on Tounde Yessoufou, the Baylor transfer that UCLA has targeted, and what his thinking might be on NBA Draft vs. returning to college. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this new podcast, BRO's Tracy McDannald and Rivals' Brandon Huffman talked about UCLA's upcoming visit weekend, the recent developments in UCLA football recruiting, and much more. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about last Saturday's UCLA football spring game and then go deep on the current state of the football recruiting class. We discussed the format of the spring game, and then talked about some of our key takeaways, including receiver Brian Rowe being just as impressive as we saw during the majority of practices. We also talked about our remaining uncertainty at left tackle and on the interior of the defensive line, and how the format for the game, while more fun for the fans, actually made it a bit harder to assess depth because of the way they mixed and matched offensive lines. We then talked about the big recruiting weekend last weekend, and then discussed what's to come later today a bit as well. For the first time in a long time, we were able to go position-by-position through the recruiting class, because UCLA is actually going for a full high school recruiting class and filling needs at every spot out of the high school ranks. We talked about the position groups we're most excited about, including a defensive back group that already projects as an A-level recruiting job -- and the Bruins aren't yet done with defensive back recruiting. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the BROCast, Dave and Tracy talk about UCLA football recruiting, preview the spring game, briefly address the Tounde Yessoufou reports, and then discuss how UCLA women's basketball has closed out the Transfer Portal. This weekend is poised to be one of the biggest UCLA football recruiting weekends in recent memory. The Bruins landed a commitment from four-star defensive tackle George Toia yesterday, and there could be as many as three more four-stars committing this weekend, as well as potentially three-star running back and UCLA legacy Duece Jones-Drew. We talk about the weekend, and the likelihood of UCLA ending up with a top 15 class...or better. We then shifted gears to the spring game, and we discussed what we are hoping to see during the session on Saturday, with special focus on the offensive line, particularly at left tackle, as well as the pass rush and middle linebacker positions. We also want to see Brian Rowe make a spectacular play or two. We touched on the reports that Tounde Yessoufou's agent has said he's going to the NBA Draft, and then digressed into a discussion of AI and aggregation and how it's hurting sports journalism generally. Finally, we talked about how the UCLA women's basketball program has closed out the Transfer Portal. Bruin Report Online is now at On3! Join BRO today and get 5 months for ONLY $1! Check it out here.  #UCLA #UCLAFootball #UCLABruins #On3 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.