Bob Chesney will be the man tasked with returning UCLA to prominence.
CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports the Bruins are hiring Chesney as their head coach.
UCLA is in fact hiring James Madison’s Bob Chesney as its new head coach, sources tell @CBSSports https://t.co/262uNjlybc
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 1, 2025
Chesney, 48, is in his second season as head coach of James Madison, succeeding Curt Cignetti with the Dukes. He had spent the previous six seasons with Holy Cross (FCS).
Under Chesney, the Dukes have been a Sun Belt juggernaut. After a 9-4 season in 2024, JMU is 11-1 and will play Troy in the conference championship next weekend. Currently ranked at No. 19 in the country, the Dukes still have an outside shot at a College Football Playoff appearance.
The Bruins’ job opened in September when the program fired DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start to his second season. The Bruins finished their season at 3-9 and are bowl ineligible for the second straight season. The team last won double-digit games in 2014 under Jim Mora.
