UCLA announces Bob Chesney as 20th head football coach

Less than 24 hours after leading James Madison to the Sun Belt Conference championship, Bob Chesney was finally ready to confirm the college football coaching carousel’s worst-kept secret for the past week.

UCLA formally announced Chesney as its 20th head coach in program history Saturday, marking the first time the school has hired a sitting head coach since Pepper Rodgers in 1971.

Chesney, 48, agreed to a five-year deal Monday after a nearly three-month search led by a committee of athletic director Martin Jarmond, executive senior associate AD Erin Adkins, major donor Casey Wasserman and alums Bob Myers, Adam Peters and Eric Kendricks.

“Bob Chesney has built programs into consistent winners at every stop in his career, and he’s ready to do it at UCLA,” Jarmond said in a release announcing the move. “From our very first conversation, he articulated a clear vision of success for UCLA football and a plan to elevate our program back to national prominence. From his detail-oriented approach to running a program, to his ability to connect, Bob impressed our search committee every step of the way. He’s a leader, a consensus builder and a developer of young men, and I’m thrilled to welcome him and his family to Westwood.”

Chesney’s introductory press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

In the release, Chesney guaranteed that his run of success will translate in his first-ever Power 4 level job.

“I’d like to thank Martin Jarmond, Chancellor Julio Frenk and the search committee for this incredible opportunity to lead the UCLA football program,” Chesney said. “Through our many conversations, it became abundantly clear to me that UCLA is willing to do what it takes to build a championship-level program. UCLA is a very special place. From its stellar academics, impactful alumni, geographic location and deep recruiting base, this is a program that can and WILL win at the highest level. UCLA has every ingredient necessary, but what has truly stood out to me is the passion of UCLA’s administration, alumni and fanbase. Their pride, their energy and their willingness to support and invest in this program’s rise create powerful momentum for what’s ahead. Leadership is ready. The alumni are ready. The fanbase is ready. And I am ready. I look forward to working together as we bring this program to the standard of excellence it deserves.”

Chesney led the Dukes to a 12-1 record, including a dominant second-half defensive performance in Friday’s 31-14 win over Troy for the conference title and an 11th consecutive victory. The win kept James Madison alive for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, which will be revealed Sunday on ESPN.

James Madison, ranked 25th in the CFP poll, needs a Duke win over No. 17 Virginia in the ACC championship game Saturday to have a shot. If selected, Chesney will coach Dukes through the playoff run before leaving for Westwood.

Instant program builder

In two seasons, James Madison is 21-5 under Chesney after he took over once Curt Cignetti left the program and took a significant part of the roster and staff with him to Indiana. There was zero drop-off for a program that has only been on the FBS level for four seasons.

James Madison ranked 21st in scoring defense (20.5) and 23rd in total defense (321.8) while ranking 26th in scoring offense (33.3) in the first year under Chesney. It also led the country in both turnover margin (1.54) and fewest interceptions thrown (4) while ranking third in fewest turnovers (9), total takeaways (29) and pick-sixes (4).

In 2025, the offense has improved to 37.3 points per game, the nation’s 10th-best mark. The defense’s 15.8 points allowed per game also ranks 10th. In all, the Dukes rank in the top 10 nationally in 13 statistical team categories.

Chesney, the Sun Belt coach of the year, helped 19 players combine to earn 20 all-conference honors including three major awards this season. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III was the Sun Belt player of the year, linebacker Trent Hendrick was the defensive player of the year and defensive end Sahir West was the freshman of the year.

“I am pleased to welcome coach Bob Chesney to UCLA to lead and develop our football program both on the field and in the classroom,” Frenk said in the release. “Coach Chesney has a proven track record of building champions and winning programs, and his philosophy of developing student-athletes in all aspects of their growth aligns closely with our Bruin values. I commend Martin Jarmond for leading this search committee process and am thankful to the members of the committee for identifying someone who is an excellent fit for the Bruins. We all look forward to beginning this bold, new chapter for UCLA football.”

Chesney’s past stops

Chesney took a long and winding road to Southern California, and at every step up the coaching ladder proved to be a winner with a 132-51 career record.

He spent six seasons at Holy Cross from 2018 to 2023, winning five Patriot League titles and leading the program to four of its six FCS playoff appearances. Chesney posted a 44-21 record and earned league coach of the year honors three times.

Chesney also had a combined eight consecutive winning seasons at Division II Assumption College (2013-17) and Division III Salve Regina (2010-12).

“Amidst a crowded field of elite talent, Bob Chesney stood out as the clear choice,” Wasserman said in the release. “His track record of building championship cultures is undeniable, and his vision for excellence makes him the perfect fit to lead us into this new era.”

He broke into the coach profession as a graduate assistant at Norwich in 2000. Along the way, stops as an assistant include Delaware Valley, King’s College and Johns Hopkins. Chesney, a former Dickinson College defensive back, spent most of his coaching career on the defense including a pair of coordinator jobs.

Eight of Chesney’s assistant coaches at James Madison have spent multiple years him, including four — offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dean Kennedy, tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Drew Canan, offensive line coach Chris Smith and safeties coach/recruiting coordinator Anthony DiMichele — who came over from Holy Cross.

Chesney’s staff of assistants at UCLA has not been announced.

The task at hand in Westwood

In September, UCLA fired DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start to his second season. Foster was just 5-10 as a first-time head coach, marking the shortest coaching tenure in program history.

The Bruins won three consecutive games in October under interim head coach Tim Skipper, now the head coach at Sacramento State, before finishing 3-9 with five consecutive losses.

UCLA has 12 winning seasons since 2001, reaching the 10-win mark just three times in that span. The Bruins posted three consecutive winning seasons under Chip Kelly from 2021 to 2023, the last of his six seasons, but the fan support for Kelly dwindled, high school recruiting suffered and home attendance took a nose dive.

While Foster resuscitated the recruiting relationships over the past two years, the on-field product showed a lack of discipline and struggles in the trenches during the Bruins’ transition to the Big Ten. UCLA is just 8-16 overall since leaving the Pac-12.

Chesney quickly got to work recruiting prior to the official hire announcement. The Bruins signed 16 high school recruits in the 2026 class this week, including three with ties to the incoming staff.