How UCLA's receiving core has stuck together for success

LOS ANGELES - No. 9 UClA has impressed in a myriad of ways on the team's way to a 6-0 start to the season, from their best in the Big Ten rushing core to their outstanding defense, but what has stood out the most when the Bruins take the field is the variety of threats that they can employ on any given day.

Throughout the season, head coach Bob Chesney has instilled a "next man up" mentality in his team, ensuring that no matter the circumstances or the adversity in front of them, someone will always be there to answer the call.

That mentality has been exemplified by the team's receiver core, where it seems like every game someone new rises to the occasion to be a threat downfield. Senior Semaj Morgan leads the Bruins with 313 yards, but rising stars like Brian Rowe Jr., Landon Ellis and Aidan Mizel have all turned in their fair share of outstanding performances as well. 

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UCLA Bruins WR Landon Ellis (11) celebrates after scoring during a NCAA football game against Purdue at Rose Bowl Stadium on September 19th, 2026 in Pasadena, California.

The idea that any Bruin in any situation can step up and make their opponents pay is just part of what's made UCLA such a formidable offense this season and it's that variety in threats that has made Chesney proud.

Prepared for anything

"You just never know what matchup is going to favor us or where they intend to roll their coverages or how they do different things that they might be doing defensively," Chesney said. "We've got to take what they're giving us and I thought we have enough weapons that we can do that."

That mentality was on full display in UCLA's win against Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl. With senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach taking snaps as a starter in the FBS for the first time in his career, he looked across the field for targets, with Ellis standing out in his two monstrous receptions that he took down the field for 57 yards. 

That win against Wisconsin was rife with gutsy catches from Ellis and Morgan, who found their gaps downfield and made outrageous catches at times, stretching out for successful dives or planting themselves between defenders while Dieffenbach threaded the needle straight to them.

Wisconsin heroics

"Teams are going to try to take something away, so other people have to be able to step up and make plays," Chesney said. " And there's no doubt that I think all of them —There were some heroic catches out there. Braden's catch on that third down was as big a part of this game as any. Landon's on the sideline over back in the end zone back in the end zone... Semaj is the one that gets targeted over the middle of the field. What a warrior... to be able to take that hit, hold onto the football, bounce right back up."

Heading into the season, UCLA's receiving wasn't expected to be such a major part of the offense and matters looked worse when senior wide receiver Mikey Mathews went down with an injury in just the second game of the season.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

UCLA Bruins WR Brian Rowe Jr (2) completes a catch during a NCAA football game against Purdue at Rose Bowl Stadium on September 19th, 2026 in Pasadena, California.

But the rest of the Bruins rallied and have come together to make the receiving core just as threatening a weapon as the rushing game or the defense. 

For players like Morgan, knowing that the man next to you is just as capable of stepping up in a big moment has brought a certain level of reassurance to him and has shown just how much togetherness has been at the heart of every one of UCLA's strengths.

Playing together in hard times

"It feels great, because my past few years I haven't really been in a receiver core that any given day anybody can go up," Morgan said. "So it just feels good. Coach Lock [Collin Locket] talks about it all the time — We've all got to be ready no matter what."

Even when Mathews went down with his injury, something that had the potential to shake the confidence of the receiving room, they instead banded together, determined to pick Mathews rather than grieve his absence on the field.

The difference maker for this UCLA team, what has made them so good through this point of the season, is how committed they are to each other. 

With the absence of ego, there comes the absence of panic, replaced instead with a drive to carry each other through hardship.

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Aidan Mizell #1 of the UCLA Bruins runs after the catch during the game against Wisconsin Badgers at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Pasadena, California.

In staying ready to answer the call, the receiving core has kept the offense flowing seamlessly and helped lift the team to new heights, with more rising left to do.

"Just being able to see guys in our room being at practice one day, then the next day they're out for the season, I feel like that just all pushes us [to be] drivers," Morgan said. "Any one of us can be up at any time, so we all gotta be ready That's just a credit to the way we prepare. Everything is meticulous. Everything down to every single small detail."