James Madison coach Bob Chesney has emerged as the target of UCLA’s coaching search, sources told ESPN.
He’s set to sign a five-year deal with UCLA, according to ESPN sources, that will be finalized after James Madison’s Sun Belt championship game.
Chesney’s James Madison team is 11-1 this season and plays Troy this week in the Sun Belt championship. UCLA has agreed with James Madison that Chesney will coach the Dukes if JMU wins the Sun Belt and ends up in the College Football Playoff field as one of five highest-ranked conference champions.
Chesney informed his team of his intention to leave Monday, sources told ESPN. Chesney jumped to the top of the list of candidates in this frenetic college coaching cycle, drawing interest for a number of the top openings, as JMU is ranked No. 19 in both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls.
Once Chesney’s hiring is finalized, UCLA gets a coach with a consistent track record of winning, as athletic director Martin Jarmond and the UCLA search committee quickly coalesced around his candidacy early in the process.
Chesney, a Pennsylvania native, brings a background as an assistant coach on both defense and special teams. He has also developed a reputation as a turnaround artist, as he has resuscitated struggling programs at Division III Salve Regina, Division II Assumption University and turned FCS Holy Cross into a high-level winner. Along with being 20-5 at JMU, he’s 131-51 overall as a college head coach over 16 seasons. At Holy Cross, he led the school to four of the six FCS playoff appearances in school history, reaching four in a row from 2019 to 2022. He also led the Crusaders to five Patriot League titles.
UCLA’s courtship has been a long one, as it fired coach DeShaun Foster in mid-September after an 0-3 start. He finished his two-season tenure at 5-10.
The UCLA search committed included notable graduates such as longtime NBA executive Bob Myers and Commanders GM Adam Peters.
Jarmond and UCLA top football administrator Erin Adkins flew out and saw Chesney in Virginia nearly three weeks ago, according to sources. UCLA met with four candidates in person and quickly identified Chesney as the best fit. The committee viewed Chesney’s background through small college football and his knack of turning around programs as positives. Since arriving in the Big Ten, UCLA is 8-16 overall, bringing about a wake-up call that more investment is needed.
UCLA pitched to candidates a job with increased financial support, as well as the financial ambition to be competitive in the Big Ten and embrace the academic standards of UCLA. Chesney has worked at strong academic schools, including as an assistant at Johns Hopkins prior to becoming a head coach.
“He had an appreciation for UCLA, the academics and the Big Ten,” said a source familiar with the process. “He also had a detailed plan on how to turn the program around.”
