The James Madison coach had already wowed the committee by then, according to multiple people with knowledge of the search who spoke with The Times on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.<\/p>\n
Chesney\u2019s experience building programs into winners, established track record of success at multiple levels, ability to develop talent and appreciation for everything UCLA had to offer were all selling points that made him an attractive candidate early in a search lasting 2\u00bd months.<\/p>\n
Along the way, Chesney and the six-person committee nurtured a relationship based on shared values and mutual respect, according to those familiar with the process, making him feel prioritized when other potential suitors emerged as part of a coaching carousel that threatened to spin out of control as new openings materialized seemingly by the day.<\/p>\n
After Jarmond and Erin Adkins, the executive senior associate athletic director who was also part of the search committee, flew to see Chesney last month in Virginia, the coach and his suitors came to the same conclusion \u2014 they were a perfect match. Chesney agreed to become the Bruins\u2019 new coach on Dec. 1, accepting a five-year deal.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday morning on campus inside the Luskin Center, UCLA will introduce a coach whose hiring might be the coup of the carousel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe owe UCLA students, alumni, supporters and fans a football program built to succeed in the modern age of college sports, and hiring coach Chesney will do just that,\u201d search committee member Bob Myers said. \u201cWe not only believe in him as a head coach, but also as a person. His character and values were a huge factor in our decision. Coach Chesney exudes all the qualities you want in someone charged with leading our student-athletes at UCLA.\u201d<\/p>\n
The buzz around Chesney only intensified Sunday when James Madison was selected for the College Football Playoff, dramatically increasing his profile. UCLA has agreed to allow Chesney to coach the 12th-seeded Dukes (12-1) through a CFP run that starts Dec. 20 when they face fifth-seeded Oregon (11-1) at Autzen Stadium, the Bruins undoubtedly getting free air time during the TNT broadcast when their new coach is mentioned. The committee was firmly behind Chesney participating in the playoff, celebrating his team\u2019s selection.<\/p>\n
The process leading to Chesney\u2019s hiring started as most coaching searches do, with a firing. The dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start \u2014 giving him a 5-10 record over a little more than one season \u2014 left the Bruins with a need to recalibrate their approach in picking a successor.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Martin Jarmond<\/p>\n
(Wally Skalij\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
Jarmond identified three principal guidelines for the search while meeting with UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk. There needed to be alignment among everyone involved in the process about what they wanted in their new coach, ample investment to allow that coach to compete in the Big Ten and nationally, and ultimately the identification of a strong leader who embodied the school\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n
Jarmond was open to any candidate, including NFL coaches and college coordinators, but eventually came to prioritize sitting head coaches who had gone through the recent transformative changes in college sports involving the transfer portal, roster management and the name, image and likeness space. There was also a strong preference for someone who had experience turning around a program, building it into a sustained winner.<\/p>\n
A search committee that included Jarmond, Adkins, Myers, sports executive Casey Wasserman, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and former Bruins linebacker Eric Kendricks cast a wide net, starting with a list of 40 possible candidates. The committee gathered preliminary background information on those coaches and met regularly via phone calls and in person, with Peters often joining via Zoom because he was based on the East Coast.<\/p>\n
Peters offered intelligence based on his extensive network of NFL personnel who regularly visited college campuses and observed coaches. Myers and Wasserman provided insights based on their vast experience as top-level sports executives. Kendricks, who has spent a decade playing in the NFL, queried candidates on playing style, practice habits, accountability measures and coaching philosophy.<\/p>\n
As the committee continued to gather information and assess possible fit, it halved the list of candidates to 20, then narrowed it further to 12 and then eight, which included seven sitting college head coaches and one college coordinator. After the round of Zoom calls, the committee identified six candidates it wanted to remain in contention. Jarmond and Adkins flew to see four candidates in person, keeping two others in the running for possible future meetings.<\/p>\n
After every interview and in-person meeting, the committee members always asked themselves the same things: Did this candidate possess the qualities they were seeking and could he fulfill their vision for winning?<\/p>\n
Chesney, 48, kept checking every box from early in the process. On his Zoom with the committee, Chesney detailed his plan for winning with the Bruins and gave examples of experiences at other schools that revealed his appreciation for what it took to succeed at a highly rigorous academic institution. His resume was just as impressive as his answers.<\/p>\n
Chesney\u2019s 132-51 record included success at the Division III, Division II, Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision levels. Part of that success included dramatic turnarounds. Assumption, which had gone 3-7 under previous coach Corey Bailey in 2012, enjoyed a steady rise under Chesney, going from 6-5 in Year 1 to 7-4 in Year 2 to 11-2 in Year 3.<\/p>\n
It was a similar story at Holy Cross, which had gone 4-7 the year before Chesney\u2019s arrival. By Chesney\u2019s second season, the Crusaders started a four-year run of making the FCS playoffs, reaching a quarterfinal in 2022.<\/p>\n
While coach Curt Cignetti already had James Madison rolling, the Dukes going 11-2 and reaching the Armed Forces Bowl in 2023, Chesney has now managed in only two years to take the program somewhere his predecessor couldn\u2019t \u2014 the CFP.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that sort of sustained success that left UCLA\u2019s search committee with no qualms about Chesney not having won at the Power Four level. Given Chesney\u2019s track record, the committee believed that all he needed to win big at college football\u2019s highest level was an opportunity.<\/p>\n
UCLA plans to support its new coach with enhanced resources, making a significant commitment to grow its assistant coach salary pool alongside additional investment in front-office, recruiting and strength and conditioning personnel as well as a restructured NIL operation.<\/p>\n
Jarmond and Adkins flew to Virginia on Sunday so that they could accompany Chesney on his flight to Southern California on Monday ahead of his introduction a day later. Chesney will return to James Madison on Wednesday, continuing preparations to take his team somewhere the Bruins hope he can lead them.<\/p>\n
Feeling like winners already, the Bruins are about to unveil the coach who seems to have all the answers..<\/p>\n
A brand-new NIL<\/p>\n
Chesney is going to have some new resources at his disposal.<\/p>\n
As part of an aggressive restructuring, UCLA has transitioned its name, image and likeness efforts for football to the same third-party media and branding agency that handles the school\u2019s other teams.<\/p>\n
Champion of Westwood will assist Chesney in an effort to elevate his team\u2019s NIL endeavors in the same way it has for men\u2019s basketball \u2014 through its Men of Westwood arm \u2014 as well as women\u2019s basketball, softball and other teams on campus.<\/p>\n
Working with NIL agency Article 41, which has staff on campus to help athletes build their brands through content creation and social media strategies, Champion of Westwood is striving to create new opportunities for football players as part of an all-inclusive approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is committed to being very symbiotic on this, which I think will lead to success,\u201d said Ken Graiwer, the UCLA alumnus who runs Champion of Westwood. \u201cSupporting NIL is supporting the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of a new subscriber model in which payments can be made on a one-time or recurring basis, Champion of Westwood is offering benefits such as exclusive merchandise and player video updates directly from the locker room after a game.<\/p>\n
Among its corporate sponsors, Champion of Westwood has partnered with Paige, the same apparel company that outfitted Dodgers stars Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were looking for the next generation of top athletes,\u201d Graiwer said of Paige identifying UCLA as a client. \u201cThese are the great kinds of things that we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Champion of Westwood has also assembled a new advisory board that includes former UCLA quarterback Cory Paus, mega donor Michael Price and other heavyweights in the financial and entertainment sectors who can help facilitate introductions between players and individuals or companies interested in engaging them for NIL deals.<\/p>\n
Olympic sport of the week: Men\u2019s water polo <\/p>\n
The UCLA men\u2019s water polo team after winning the national championship.<\/p>\n
(UCLA Athletics)<\/p>\n
It was the sort of ending the cross-town rivalry deserved.<\/p>\n
In another back-and-forth battle, Frederico Juc\u00e1 Carsalade made sure the UCLA men\u2019s water polo team came out on top with a goal as time expired Sunday at Stanford\u2019s Avery Aquatic Center, lifting the Bruins to an 11-10 victory over USC in the national championship game.<\/p>\n
USC\u2019s Jack Martin had tied the score with 2:03 left before Carsalade\u2019s goal gave UCLA its 125th NCAA title in school history and its second consecutive championship in men\u2019s water polo. Carsalade finished with two goals and Ryder Dodd scored three, including back-to-back goals that pushed the Bruins into a 10-9 lead before the Trojans rallied.<\/p>\n
It was payback after USC had won two of the three previous meetings between the teams this season. The victory gave UCLA coach Adam Wright his 10th NCAA title with the Bruins \u2014 six as head coach of the men\u2019s water polo team, two as a player for the Bruins, one as head coach of the women\u2019s water polo team and another as an assistant coach with the women\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
Opinion time<\/p>\n
What is your level of happiness with the Bob Chesney hire?<\/p>\n
Ecstatic, couldn\u2019t be happier<\/p>\n
Guardedly optimistic<\/p>\n
In wait-and-see mode<\/p>\n
This is the best they could do?<\/p>\n
Click here to vote in our survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n Poll results<\/p>\n We asked, \u201cHow optimistic are you for UCLA football in 2026?\u201d<\/p>\n After 612 votes, the results:<\/p>\n They will qualify for a lower-tier bowl game, 47.1% In case you missed it<\/p>\n Lauren Betts helps No. 3 UCLA pummel Oregon in Big Ten opener<\/a><\/p>\n Here are 15 reasons why UCLA should not abandon the Rose Bowl<\/a><\/p>\n Eric Dailey Jr. goes from zero to hero, powering UCLA to victory over Oregon<\/a><\/p>\n UCLA got its new football coach in Bob Chesney, but who will be coming with him?<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s Bernie Madoff level\u2019: UCLA\u2019s Mick Cronin says agent greed drives player movement<\/a><\/p>\n Kroenke Sports and SoFi Stadium are new defendants in Rose Bowl lawsuit against UCLA<\/a><\/p>\n UCLA and USC football transfer portal tracker: Who\u2019s in and who\u2019s out?<\/a><\/p>\n Mixed results for UCLA on early signing day<\/a><\/p>\n How UCLA football salvaged its recruiting class, giving Bob Chesney an early boost<\/a><\/p>\n Have something Bruin?<\/p>\n Do you have a comment or something you\u2019d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com<\/a>, and follow me on X @latbbolch<\/a>. To order an autographed copy of my book, \u201c100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,\u201d send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The eight remaining candidates met with UCLA\u2019s search committee on Zoom, each answering the same set of questions.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[2724,4279,399,56247,117629,6306,4281,398,396,397,3,17881,99,2072,1599,1086,15601,11484,155778,96],"class_list":["post-337181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-associated-press","tag-dodgers","tag-football","tag-jason-preston","tag-kings","tag-lakers","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-news","tag-sandy-alcantara","tag-sports","tag-taylor-fritz","tag-team","tag-teams","tag-times","tag-tuesday","tag-ucla-olympic-sports","tag-wimbledon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
They will show some fight, but struggle to a losing record, 23.5%
It\u2019s going to be another long season, 14.6%
They will make a quality bowl game, 10.7%
The Bruins will be in College Football Playoff contention, 4.1%<\/p>\n