UCLA is hiring James Madison’s Bob Chesney to fill its head coaching position, though Chesney is expected stay with the Dukes through the postseason if they were to make the College Football Playoff, multiple program sources confirmed to The Athletic.

Chesney, 48, has been a fast riser in the coaching ranks the past few years, going from Football Championship Subdivision program Holy Cross to replacing Curt Cignetti at JMU. The Dukes haven’t missed a beat under Chesney, going 20-5 the past two seasons. He has also had successful runs at Division II and III schools and is 129-51 overall as a college head coach.

James Madison (11-1) plays Troy in the Sun Belt championship game on Saturday, with a chance to reach the College Football Playoff as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. The Athletic’s projections model gives the Dukes a 39 percent chance of making the field.

Chesney replaces DeShaun Foster, who was fired Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start. The Bruins were 5-7 last year in Foster’s debut season, but offseason hope surged thanks to the arrival of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who transferred in this spring in the wake of an NIL dispute at Tennessee. Instead, UCLA looked lifeless. The Bruins lost to Utah and UNLV and then were thumped 35-10 by New Mexico at the Rose Bowl, leading to Foster’s exit. UCLA was outscored 108-43 in those games.

Following Foster’s dismissal, the rejuvenated Bruins won three straight Big Ten games, including the season’s biggest shocker, a 42-37 upset of then-No. 7 Penn State. Interim coach Tim Skipper and offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel guided a moribund offense into another strong performance at Michigan State (38-13) and a home win against Maryland before dropping their final five games.

The Bruins had modest success from 2021 through ’23, with three straight winning seasons under Chip Kelly. But Kelly chose to leave in February 2024 to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, which prompted athletic director Martin Jarmond to promote Foster. Over the last 10 seasons, UCLA have finished with seven losing campaigns.

UCLA owes Foster about $7.8 million per the terms of his contract, which ran through 2028.

— The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, Scott Dochterman, Bruce Feldman and Ralph Russo contributed reporting.