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UCLA football 2026 top 30 players countdown: No. 5

UCLA Bruins On SI · Jul 21, 2026 14:00 · 5 min read

UCLA Football 2026 Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 5

UCLA will have plenty of weapons to help QB Nico Iamaleava.

Dec 9, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Bob Chesney is introduced as UCLA Bruins football coach at press conference at Renee Luskin Conference Center Centennial Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UCLA football's head coach has completely changed the roster for the upcoming 2026 college football season, especially the wide receiver room.

Last year, one of the biggest reasons Nico Iamaleava did not have a good year was the lack of receivers to throw to. The leading receiver for the Bruins was sophomore Kwazi Gilmer, with 535 yards, 50 receptions, and four touchdowns, but aside from him, the Bruins' receiving corps did not perform well last year.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yesterday, I released a story about a missing player who should also be in the conversation for being named the No. 1 wide receiver on the depth chart. That player's name is Brian Rowe Jr., who still has three years of eligibility remaining at UCLA and is talented enough to rank fifth on my list of the top 30 players on the roster.

Brian Rowe Jr. Coming out of High School

Coming out of Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, North Carolina, Rowe Jr. had a good first two years, but truly broke out during his junior and senior seasons.

In his freshman season with the Bulldogs, Rowe did not see the field much, as they were in contention to make the state championship game with a 10-2 record and a 5-0 conference record.

Brian Rowe j — Nov 22, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. (18) gets around Coastal Carolina Chanticleers cornerback Chris Henry (17) in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It wouldn't be until his sophomore season that Rowe would start to see the field as a wide receiver. In his sophomore season, Rowe had a decent year with 24 receptions for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Rowe would also play on the other side of the ball, recording a 50-yard interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown.

Heading into his junior season, he was looking to take a big step up in his career as he would be the new top receiver on the team, and he delivered. Rowe Jr. caught 50 passes for 1,063 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and also had a trio of punt return touchdowns and made more of an impact on defense with a pair of pass breakups. In his junior season, the Bulldogs ranked 50th in North Carolina and finished with a 12-1 record and a 7-0 conference record.

With Rowe’s help on the outside, the Bulldogs reached the third round of North Carolina’s 3A playoffs in 2023.

James Madison’s Landon Ellis, left, pulls down a pass ahead of Oregon’s Na'eem Offord during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

His senior year would be another season as one of the best players in North Carolina. Jay M. Robinson High School would move up in the state rankings to a top-25 team, ranking 23rd. The Bulldogs would finish the year with a 12-1 record and 7-0 in the conference, but would fall short in the playoffs once again.

Rowe would also have another great season with 46 receptions for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. With another great season under his belt, Rowe Jr. would be selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As an overall recruit, Rowe would be ranked as a 4-star prospect and would be the 337th-ranked player in the 2025 high school class, the 45th-ranked wide receiver, and the 10th-ranked player in the state of North Carolina, per the 247Sports Composite.

Rowe would be a highly sought-after recruit, earning offers from schools down south, including Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, and Georgia Southern, as well as from major programs like Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and others. Ultimately, Rowe Jr. would decide to stay close to home and play for the University of South Carolina, alongside one of the top projected quarterbacks in the SEC, LaNorris Sellers.

Brian Rowe Jr. at South Carolina

Coming into last season, South Carolina was ranked 13th in the preseason poll and a contender to win the SEC. However, the Gamecocks would underperform, finishing with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-7 SEC record.

Brian Rowe Jrr — Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. (18) catches a pass for a touchdown as Missouri Tigers cornerback Drey Norwood (12) looks on during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As for Rowe Jr., he would also have a year with highs and lows in an underwhelming season. Rowe Jr. would finish his freshman season with just 19 receptions for 149 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Most of the season, Rowe would be in for a couple of plays and have only one or two receptions. There would be two games with three or four receptions for over 40 yards. In the Gamecocks' match against No. 7 Ole Miss, he notched four receptions for 45 yards, and against No. 2323 Missouri, he tallied three receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.

After his freshman season. Rowe Jr. would enter the transfer portal, looking for a more stable situation and a bigger role in the offense. With much-needed help in the wide receiver group for next season, Bob Chesney added Rowe Jr. to be a starter and a reliable weapon on the outside for quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Rowe Jr. With the Bruins

Since coming over to Westwood, Rowe Jr. has been nothing but exceptional during the offseason workouts. Before the spring game, offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy spoke highly of Rowe Jr and how well he has progressed with the Bruins. and has seemingly already built up chemistry with quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

"You can see, to me, the big thing is that when he plays, and he knows what he's doing, he's special, right? But that's the big piece of it, right? It's just keep staying in that playbook so that when we do have those moments and if we want to put him wherever we want to put him, that he can now go execute that assignment.”

Dean Kennedy also spoke highly of the chemistry that both Rowe Jr. and quarterback Nico Iamaleava have formed during offseason workouts.

“You see that with Brian, and the quarterbacks that they’re starting to trust him,” Kennedy said. “It didn't happen from practice one, but you start to see that you start to see them kind of get after each other in a good way. I've seen in the past four or five practices, specifically with those in that position group, a lot more communication.”

Rowe Jr. is a player who can do everything on the field. Rowe can run any route; he can use his speed to run go-routes to blow by defenders, and even though he is listed at 5-11 and 170 pounds, he is strong enough to be a redzone threat in one-on-one coverage. With Rowe on the outside and players like Landon Ellis and Leland Smith, UCLA will have plenty of weapons to help Nico Iamaleava.