Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-10vs San Diego State | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#97
Aiden Gobaira
Senior defensive lineman on UCLA's 2026 roster.
6′4″ · 261 lb · Fairfax, VA · Chantilly HS / James Madison
CFB Index 69 · #102 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceTransferred James Madison → UCLA for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
0.5 TFL · 6 tackles · 1 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 TFL, 6 tackles, vs San Diego State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on UCLA's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Notre Dame in 2022.
- Transferred from James Madison to UCLA in 2026.
Aiden Gobaira
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He got to UCLA by way of James Madison. 2025 brought the first one: All-Sun Belt. One game to point at: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL against San Diego State — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- portal record
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
2022
- Signed with Notre Dame4-star out of Chantilly
202513 games
- Entered the portal
- All-Sun Beltthird
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-SUN BELT
All-Sun Belt mention (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Tim Skipper
UCLA
2026era →
Bob Chesney
UCLA
Coaching transition mid-career: Tim Skipper → Bob Chesney. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UCLA
2025James Madison
2026UCLA
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025James Madison12-2HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy
2026UCLA2-0HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.2 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | James Madison | 33 | 12 | 7.5 | 4.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 39 | 14 | 8.0 | 4.5 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 28–10
6 TOT · 2 SOLO · 0 TFL
With C. Gerrand — 49 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 55 LONG · N. Iamaleava — 151 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 31.0 · 57 rush yds (13 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyler Baron’s 2021 season.
93%match
NFL Rd 5
Matches Tyler on
TFL rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Noah Taylor's freshman season at North Carolina (2022).
78%match
Matches Noah on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Noah on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Aiden Gobaira
Background
Career Summary Transferred to UCLA ahead of the 2026 campaign after spending his true freshman season at Connecticut … played 12 games at UConn, recording 19 tackles, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble. 2025 (Connecticut) Entered 12 games as a true freshman at Connecticut, starting one (O...
The defensive line · UCLA
- #15Sahir West14 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Aiden Gobaira7.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55A.J. Fuimaono1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #90Amier Washington1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #24Cole Cogshell1 tackle for loss · 2025
12 more on the roster · UCLA team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology