Yesterday, UCLA officially announced the hire of general manager Darrick Yray, who will be taking over the role from Khary Darlington.
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While UCLA hasn’t officially announced him, a key member of James Madison’s front office personnel from the Bob Chesney era is also coming over with him.
Nathan Applebaum, who was the director of player personnel under Chesney, will continue in roughly the same role with the Bruins as the Executive Director of Player Personnel.
I am excited to join UCLA as the Executive Director of Player Personnel. Thank you to the administration and staff for making me apart of the Bruin family. Let’s get to work! #GoBruins 🐻
— Nathan Applebaum (@ApplebaumNathan) December 24, 2025
Additionally, Michael Moriarty, a recruiting staffer at JMU, also indicated that he’ll be joining Chesney in Westwood as well.
Forever thankful for my time at James Madison University. This community and fan base are truly special, and being part of a season that rewrote history is something I’ll never forget. 💜
I will be heading to Westwood. Excited to join the UCLA recruiting staff. 🐻
— Michael Moriarty (@mike50moriarty) December 23, 2025
Applebaum spent two seasons with Chesney at JMU, and prior to that was an assistant director of player personnel for Fresno State, and then a recruiting staffer for both Michigan State and Florida.
Already, we’ve reported that both Dean Kennedy and Colin Hitschler are set to join Chesney from JMU as his offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. With the addition of Applebaum, you can start to see the plan — this staff is likely to be loaded up pretty heavily with guys that Chesney is bringing over from the Dukes.