The ‘Cats are facing their new Big Ten foes for the first time since a 2005 Sun Bowl loss.
This is the fourth installment of InsideNU’s “Know Your Opponent” for Northwestern Football’s 2025 season. The ‘Cats’ second Big Ten conference game will be in Evanston for the third week in a row to host UCLA. The Bruins had some big changes this offseason and are looking to be on the up.
The Basics
Returning Production: 45% overall (54% offense, 37% defense); 100th in FBS
2024 Record: 5-7 (3-6 B1G)
Head Coach: DeShaun Foster (second season)
The Stats
2025 SP+ Overall: 51st
2025 SP+ Offense: 72nd
2025 SP+ Defense: 37th
2025 SP+ Special Teams: 54th
2024 Capsule
In their first Big Ten season, the Bruins weren’t great. A few players stood out on defense, including Carson Schwesinger and Oluwafemi Oladejo, but in general this team struggled to make waves in its new conference. Quarterback Ethan Garbers failed to eclipse 3,000 passing yards on the season and the Bruins overall just barely rushed for over 1,000 net yards. The two leading pass catchers were tight end Moliki Matavao and running back T.J. Harden, with no other receivers gaining more than 350 yards in 2024.
UCLA did have a tough schedule that included three 2024 playoff teams, but towards the end of the season the Bruins started to put things together and keep games closer or outright win.
Offensive Overview
One of the biggest stories of the offseason resulted in UCLA landing a new starting quarterback. First, Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar committed to the Bruins in December of 2024 and was slated to be the signal caller. However, when the spring transfer portal opened back up, things got strange. Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava entered the portal looking for a massive NIL deal. He ended up signing with UCLA, pushing Aguilar to transfer again (he ended up at Tennessee). The former five-star recruit passed for 2,616 yards with 19 touchdowns to just five interceptions, added 358 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. He led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff before falling to Ohio State in the first round. Iamaleava is looking to start fresh and prove his critics wrong as he takes the field in the Big Ten.
Apart from the glaring change at quarterback, this UCLA offense has a lot to prove. The top two returning receivers, Kwazi Gilmer and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, each had around 300 receiving yards. Also joining the receiver room is California transfer Mikey Matthews. Matthews has yet to eclipse 300 receiving yards in both of his two seasons played. Running back may be an improvement for the Bruins. While Harden was paramount in the receiving game for UCLA, Cal transfer Jaivian Thomas is looking to bring the burst after rushing for over 600 yards last season while sharing a backfield with Jayden Ott.
The UCLA offensive line is also much different from a year ago. Courtland Ford has extensive experience at tackle and is coming in from Kentucky after missing most of last season with a hand injury. Eugene Brooks was a four-star prospect out of high school and played in just three games for Oklahoma his freshman year. He is looking to earn a starting spot for the Bruins. While the incoming 2026 offensive line recruiting class looks promising, right now the Bruins are going to need to make do with what they have: guys who have played sparingly who are now entering much larger roles.
Defensive Overview
UCLA’s defense took a hit this offseason, losing linebacker ace Carson Schwesinger and sack leader Oluwafemi Oladejo. They also did lose many of last year’s key contributors and starters. However, the Bruins defense did surprise last season, giving up just over 340 yards per game (39th in the country). This season, despite the defense looking different, there are still positives. Siale Taupaki and Devin Aupiu had a sack and 1.5 sacks respectively in 2024 and will step up into bigger roles. Also returning is linebacker Jalen Woods, who had 22 tackles for the Bruins last season. Croix Stewart showed promise at safety last season in his limited appearances as well.
UCLA also brought a lot of transfers in on defense. Ben Perry, Andre Jordan Jr., Nico Davillier, Isaiah Chisom, Key Lawrence and more are now playing in Los Angeles and in the Big Ten. Many of the transfers have shown promise at their past schools or are coming off of injuries, but all are looking to prove the critics wrong about UCLA football as a whole this 2025 season.