Overview
- Chesney will remain with No. 12 James Madison to coach its College Football Playoff first-round game against No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20, a plan UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond publicly backed.
- He arrives with a 132-51 record across 16 seasons at Salve Regina, Assumption, Holy Cross and James Madison, where he delivered conference titles and playoff berths.
- At his introduction, Chesney declared UCLA must become the premier program in Los Angeles and outlined a blueprint built on toughness, accountability and competitive practices.
- He replaces DeShaun Foster after the Bruins’ 3-9 season, and he begins work on assembling a staff, strengthening West Coast recruiting ties and engaging UCLA’s NIL and transfer-portal strategy.
- The high-profile search committee included Bob Myers, Casey Wasserman and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and Myers said UCLA committed to funding in the Big Ten’s top third, possibly top quartile.