UCLA lands a massive $17.3 million gift, sending shockwaves through its football and basketball programs, but there’s a catch. While they receive massive financial backing from a late Bruins donor, the condition attached to it won’t help them in player acquisition.

Bob Chesney and Mick Cronin’s program receives a major financial boost from late alumnus Lawrence “Larry” Layne, who donated $17.3 million to support the football and men’s basketball programs. While the funding support program operates in multiple areas, it cannot be used for NIL purposes. Now, where and how exactly UCLA is planning to use the fund is still not clear. But the impact is already substantial.

The donation gives a hefty $9.6 million amount to the football program and $7.7 million to men’s basketball as part of Layne’s more than $40 million pledge to UCLA. Head coach Bog Chesney emphasizes the importance of Layne’s impact on the football program and thanks him for his big gesture.

“As a former UCLA student-athlete and coach, Larry fully understood the hard work and determination that was needed to be at his best both on and off the field,” Chesney said. “This incredibly generous gift will make a big impact on helping us build a championship football team.”

Sure, the amount is massive, but not being able to use it for NIL is a big blow for UCLA. They have an official NIL collective called Champion of Westwood, which gives funds to different sports, including a new “Bruins for Life” arm focused on football. This restructuring aims to align NIL fundraising and resources for better support. They also partnered with Article 41, a specialized NIL agency, to help their athletes build stronger.

Despite that, a major boost in NIL from this massive fund could have turned things around for them. On top of it, even Bob Chesney’s salary is $6.75 million per year, which drains their funds even more. Their 2024-25 NIL budget was roughly around $8-10 million, but looking at other top programs’ expenditures, they are still far back in the race, especially with the $20.5 million revenue-sharing rule.

Yet with the limitation, the donation is a massive boost for UCLA, as it will focus beyond NIL. Like Heath at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, men’s rugby, or the Center for Art Performance. On top of it, this massive amount didn’t come out of the blue.

Layne’s connection to UCLA goes way back in time. He was a former men’s rugby player and women’s rugby coach. He completed his MBA at UCLA in 1977 and then later founded Nova Storage. He supported Bruins sports for six decades, beginning with the women’s rugby club in 1979, with his generosity continuing beyond his death in December 2024 at age 75.

He even contributed to projects like the renovation of Pauley Pavilion and the construction of the Wasserman Football Center. With Layne’s massive gesture, UCLA is celebrating portal success, too.

Bob Chesney’s massive transfer portal success

Since arriving in Westwood, Bob Chesney is aggressively making moves in the transfer portal to build his team from scratch. As per CFPDepth.com, UCLA’s transfer activity ranks among the best in Division I football. This clearly shows Chesney’s dominance in recruiting.

As of January 12th, 2026, UCLA ranks first nationally in roster talent churn and currently holds 33 incoming transfer commitments and 22 outgoing transfers, which means they added 11 more players than they lost in the portal. Whereas other teams like Florida State rank last at 136th position, adding just 13 players and losing 42.

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With that portal success, UCLA holds the No. 22 transfer class nationally, with 23 of those additions rated as three-star players. The Bruins now enter the 2026 season with a roster full of talent and ready to make an impact. With quarterback Nico Iamaleava returning to the team, his talent can generate consistent production for the team.

His talent paired with a dynamic backfield led by running back Wayne Knight, formed an offense capable of balance and explosiveness. Even their receiving group is upgraded through the portal. With players like Aiden Mizell and Landon Ellis, the team is ready to make an immediate impact. Their offense needed a major rebuild after a 3-9 season. Let’s wait and see how these additions help Bob Chesney in the 2026 season.