LOS ANGELES — College sports in 2026 mimic a confounding game of Tetris. UCLA football is not afraid to play.
On Sunday, UCLA announced linebacker Trent Hendrick joined its program five days after he was granted a temporary restraining order rewarding him with a fifth year of college eligibility. Wearing No. 51, Hendrick was present at Monday’s practice, participating without pads in positional warmup drills during the media viewing period.
Hendrick will “100%” be ready for UCLA’s season-opener against Cal on Sept. 5, head coach Bob Chesney said following practice. He still needs to “go through the normal acclimation” process to advance to practicing with pads and in team portions of practice, Chesney explained, adding that “he’s been working out.”
Still, expecting a player to be ready for a regular-season game less than two weeks after being added to a program might seem unrealistic. Hendrick, though, played four seasons at James Madison, the last two with coach Bob Chesney, and was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, recording 106 total tackles.
“Obviously, we don’t want to add just anybody to our program,” Chesney said. “He knows the system. He can jump in right away — obviously can’t because he’s in only a helmet for a couple days — but at the same point in time, he’s a nice addition of a kid that we trust and believe in as part of our family.”
Hendrick becomes the latest in a rapidly growing trend of college athletes whose eligibility had run out, but who are now returning to play college sports. Initially, Hendrick’s college eligibility ended at the conclusion of the 2025 season, but after the NCAA instituted its Age-Based Eligibility Model in June, and elected not to grandfather in players whose eligibility clock had just finished, hundreds of athletes became plaintiffs in individual state lawsuits across the country to fight the NCAA’s new rule. Last Wednesday, Hendrick and seven other football players were granted a TRO by a Louisiana judge, resulting in a fifth year of eligibility.
Hendrick was not selected in April’s NFL Draft. He participated in rookie minicamps with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs in the spring. He never played in a preseason game or signed an NFL contract.
Now he’ll join a UCLA linebackers room that consists of Oklahoma transfer Samuel Omosigho, JMU transfer Drew Spinogatti and returners Jalen Woods, Donovyn Pellot and Scott Taylor. Chesney and his staff addressed the team regarding Hendrick’s addition and said those incumbent linebackers left expressing gratitude.
“I’m sure there are many coaches and many programs that never would even have that conversation — the kid would just show up,” Chesney said. “So I think it’s important that we had those conversations just about who he was as a player, that he’s guaranteed nothing, and just like everybody on this team, whatever they’re going to get, they got to work for.”
Chesney described Hendrick as a natural-born leader who represents the culture of his programs. From a skill-set standpoint, Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler relied on Hendrick in pass coverage — both man and zone looks — and as a tackler inside the box while at JMU.
It’s a quality addition to a Bruins defense that was already impressing Chesney, and specifically dominated Monday’s practice.
“The defense is in a situation right now that they’re flying around,” Chesney said.
Chesney, Hitschler and their staff emphasize aggression and calculated risks in their defensive scheme. UCLA’s offense was unable to exploit that on Monday.
“You got to make them pay a little bit,” Chesney said about the offense.
Adding Hendrick will make things even more difficult for UCLA’s offense in the 11-on-11 periods, and for the Bruins’ opponents this season.