UCLA brings energy to first spring practice of 2026
From the players doing jumping jacks and chanting in rhythm with the exercise, to the hollering when the team circled up at midfield, the energy traveled well beyond Spaulding Field.
UCLA football players stretch during their first spring practice of the year on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The intensity at UCLA’s opening spring practice was palpable. From the players doing jumping jacks and chanting “U-C-L-A!
Fight! ” in rhythm with the exercise, to the hollering that erupted when the team circled up at midfield following the stretching portion of practice, the feeling traveled well beyond the fences surrounding Spaulding Field. In his first spring practice as UCLA head coach, even Bob Chesney got in on the action, barking out instructions — sometimes profanely — during various drills, marking a far cry from the practices of last season.
“Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Chesney said of his players’ attitude. “We’ve been going for January, February, March, three months, basically, before we’re really, really playing football.
And I thought they were just hungry to be out here. ” Chesney was not surprised by the energy on the field, and laid out what he was looking for in the practice as this part of the season gets going. “You leave day one, and you know there’s going to be intensity and excitement around it,” Chesney said.