UCLA Names JMU’s Bob Chesney as Next Head Coach

Bob Chesney has shown that he is a proven winner; he has been successful at Holy Cross, Assumption, and in his final stint with JMU. This season has led the Dukes to an 11-1 record with a good chance of making the college football playoffs.

Throughout his career Chesney has been a winner at every level. At Salve Regina a divison three school, he had a 23-9 record. With Assumption a division two school, he posted an incredible 44-16 record. After that stint he would go to Holy Cross a FCS school, where he would be 44-21.

With James Madison, he would go 20-5. This season he led the Dukes to 11-1 and are currently ranked No. 19 in the entire country. He has also JMU to the tenth best offense in the nation, only allowing 16 points per game. The offense is also ranked tenth with 37.8 points per game.

What does this mean for UCLA?

What this means for UCLA, is that the program secured a proven winner. JMU has proven to be a very good pipeline for teams ready to make the next step, that last example of this working out is when Indiana hired Curt Cignetti, and as we have seen, this worked out well.

With UCLA moving to SoFi Stadium, the program is clearly aiming to replicate an NFL-style experience. And with a proven winner like Chesney now leading the way, the Bruins appear to be moving in the right direction.

More details about the hiring will come once James Madison’s season officially wraps up, but the message is already clear: UCLA is back in business. With Bob Chesney on the way and a move to SoFi Stadium on the horizon, the Bruins are signaling a full reset — one built on winning, professionalism and a modern vision for the program’s future.

It will be very interesting to see how the rest of UCLA’s future staff takes shape — and what this hire means for both recruiting and the current roster. A move of this magnitude always comes with ripple effects, from potential portal decisions to renewed interest from high-level recruits.