Also coached below FBS: Salve Regina 2010–12; Assumption 2013–17; Holy Cross 2018–23
Bowls and playoffs: 1-1
2024Boca Raton BowlW 27-17
2025CFP first roundL 34-51As of Fri Oct 23
Sat Oct 24, 3:30 pm ET 
· Michigan State is 2-5 · First meeting between Chesney and Pat Fitzgerald as head coaches · UCLA’s chance to win: 95% (the site’s model)
Yahoo SportsUCLA football’s Bob Chesney drops ‘severe’ Nico Iamaleava surgery revelationTue Oct 20Yahoo SportsBob Chesney announces that QB Nico Iamaleava is undergoing surgeryTue Oct 20
Sports IllustratedThe 'Reassuring' Sign Bob Chesney Received After UCLA WinSun Oct 18
On3UCLA football coach Bob Chesney talks Michigan State, Jalen St. Paul, moreTue Oct 20
247SportsUCLA football practice observations: Bob Chesney emphasizes technique on special teamsWed Oct 21247SportsEverything Bob Chesney said Tuesday ahead of UCLA's game against Michigan StateTue Oct 20
Daily BruinBob Chesney’s football win streak sets high expectations for rest of seasonWed Oct 21
New York PostBook it: UCLA will make the College Football Playoff under Bob ChesneyTue Oct 20
Locked OnUnstoppable? UCLA defense, Bob Chesney powering Bruins ahead of showdown vs. MSU footballWed Oct 21Locked OnUCLA Lands top LB Prospect & eyes top local QB commit! Bob Chesney surging!Tue Oct 20Locked OnTy Dieffenbach emerges & outperforms Nico Iamaleava?! UCLA Football & Bob Chesney in top 10?!Sun Oct 18Fan threads naming him, Oct 18–23: 1, from 1 person.
HALLOWEEN PLOTS What’s the best place to go on the 31st??? 21+ NOT IN WESTWOOD pleaseeeee
I believe that UCLA has a very strong chance of going 12-0. I can't believe I'm saying this...
finally some ucla respect
Fan mood · last 3 weeks · more upbeat than 3 in 4 FBS fan bases
95%
92%Percent: UCLA’s chance to win, from the site’s model. Records are through today. Networks as announced; the rest are set closer to kickoff.
Where UCLA stood among 138 FBS programs by stature after each game (1st is the highest; the CFB Zeitgeist ledger).
Yahoo Sports
ESPN
USA Today
CBS SportsYahoo SportsYahoo SportsEach week as this page showed it at the time. Weeks marked rebuilt came before this page existed: they were built afterward from only what was known by the end of that week.
Watch the biggest plays from UCLA’s games, ranked by how much each moved the chance to win.
Sat Oct 24: Michigan State
20th of 100 FBS head coaches · from 11 outlets and r/CFB
Book it: UCLA will make the College Football Playoff under Bob Chesney
New York Post +1 Oct 20 · 2 outlets
Roster talk is up: 11 stories in the last two weeks, from 6 the two weeks before.
Yahoo SportsWhat UCLA Win Over Wisconsin Would Say About Bob ChesneyOct 17UCLA BruinsUCLA Football Media Availability - Coach Chesney (Oct. 19, 2026)Oct 19On3UCLA football coach Bob Chesney talks Michigan State, Jalen St. Paul, moreOct 20247SportsEverything Bob Chesney said Tuesday ahead of UCLA's game against Michigan StateOct 20UCLA BruinsUCLA Football Media Availability - Coach Chesney (Oct. 20, 2026)Oct 20
Los Angeles TimesUCLA defeats Wisconsin, improves to 6-0 under Bob ChesneyOct 17Sports IllustratedThe 'Reassuring' Sign Bob Chesney Received After UCLA WinOct 18Daily BruinBob Chesney’s football win streak sets high expectations for rest of seasonOct 21New York Post +1How UCLA’s Bob Chesney has masterfully motivated his team to be last unbeaten in Big TenOct 19New York Post +1Book it: UCLA will make the College Football Playoff under Bob ChesneyOct 20from 53 outlets and r/CFB
UCLA surges in fourth quarter to open Bob Chesney era with win over Cal
A to Z Sports +4 Sep 6 · 5 outlets
USA Today +1What does Derek Carr bring to UCLA football? Coach Bob Chesney explainsAug 11Los Angeles Times +1Former James Madison players say Bob Chesney inspired their challenging moves to UCLAAug 24
Bleacher Report'Burn the F--king Boats,' UCLA HC Bob Chesney's Intense Speech Before Oregon Upset Shown in VideoOct 13A to Z Sports +4UCLA surges in fourth quarter to open Bob Chesney era with win over CalSep 6Los Angeles Times +1Swanson: Bob Chesney's gutty Bruins pushed to beat Cal and gave UCLA fans a reason believeSep 6Los Angeles Times +1Swanson: UCLA isn't perfect, but fans can trust Bob Chesney's Bruins to fight for winsSep 13247SportsUCLA football position grades in 45-24 win over Cal: Bruins win big in Bob Chesney debutSep 6Yahoo Sports +1College football's battle for LA: As USC and Lincoln Riley run out of excuses, Bob Chesney has UCLA dreaming big again: 'We've awoken the masses'Aug 28Los Angeles Times +1Prep talk: Former Kennedy QB Diego Montes refused to be denied meeting with UCLA coach Bob ChesneySep 2Los Angeles Times +1UCLA braces for first Big Ten test of coach Bob Chesney's tenureSep 18Sports Illustrated +1UCLA's Chesney Has Chance To Continue JMU Pipeline SuccessAug 9New York Post +1Why Bob Chesney’s debut provides a crystal ball to his UCLA futureSep 5Los Angeles TimesUCLA Unlocked: Why Bob Chesney puts special effort into special teamsAug 24247SportsBob Chesney on the Addition of Trent Hendrick, How He Fits Into the Team -- ExcerptAug 25Yahoo SportsUCLA coach Bob Chesney attempts to avoid setback vs. fringe Big Ten bowl team this fallAug 14New York PostSurprising predictions for every UCLA football game in Bob Chesney’s debut seasonSep 5Yahoo SportsBob Chesney awarded with the game ball after UCLA's Week 1 winSep 6Yahoo SportsUCLA news: Bruins' strong outing vs. Maryland has everyone buying into Bob ChesneySep 26Stories we tracked, by school.
UCLA189 stories2026 to nowMost about: press conference and quotes, win, quarterback and depth chart.
A to Z Sports +4UCLA surges in fourth quarter to open Bob Chesney era with win over CalSep 6USA Today +1Dan Lanning says Bob Chesney offered to check on Dante Moore in hospital: 'Pretty amazing'Sep 30Sports Illustrated +1UCLA's Chesney Has Chance To Continue JMU Pipeline SuccessAug 9
James Madison20 stories2024 to 2025Most about: recruiting, conference and schedule, quarterback and depth chart.
Sports Illustrated +1Bob Chesney Opens Up About His Journey to UCLAJun 20Locked OnThe Enemy wants Penn State to Promote Terry Smith?! + Bob Chesney Becoming Penn State's only OptionNov 26Locked OnUSC humliates Nico Iamaleava & UCLA Football to end dreadful Season! Is Bob Chesney Next?Dec 10Locked OnUcla’s new ERA: Bob Chesney rises as Mick Cronin’s Bruins collapse?! Big Wins & Big Questions!Feb 27Locked OnNico Iamaleava is ranked low in Big Ten QB Rankings! Can Bob Chesney fully unlock QB1?Mar 14Could another school hire him? What has he said?
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Oct 23.
We can’t try to be something different
We’ve been talking about this for a very long time
When you see it, it’s certainly egregious
He threw some really nice, accurate footballs – catchable footballs
He stepped up in the moment where we need him to. At the same point in time, he commanded the offense very, very well. What got him there is we’re looking at this on a week-to-week basis. And he had a really good week of practice. He did a really good job, and he brings a lot to the table.
I didn’t see it because it was on their sideline, but when you see it, it’s certainly egregious
Our guys did a really good job
It was a big part of it, and we didn’t have to bring a whole lot more than the four
Ultimately, they’re very similar
He (Johnson) can catch everything in his general vicinity
They’re both very, very good football players. You can’t really think one way or the other who’s going to be out there and who’s not
We’re capable of that complementary game of football
That’s a position where you’re trying to take hits of guys
Some of it came off of play action game
The quarterback (Browne) and his timing with the receivers – the routes they ran, the precision and the places he put it – couldn’t really get much pressure
We got to start much, much faster
They’re either going to be revealed for the work they’ve done up to this point, or they’re going to be exposed for the work they did not do
We need this community to come out and support at a level that they’ve never done in the past bunch of years
This is a game that you have to play with some emotion
I really like where we’re sitting
I think you got to fight and scratch and claw for everything that you got, and you got to bring these kids together as quickly as you possibly can that maybe never played together before, and with coaches that maybe never coached together before
We are excited to welcome Derek to our program
Ultimately, procedural discipline was a big part of what we want to make sure we’re constantly talking about
He’s a complete back
Hired into 39–39, National Program I. Rough match, not calibrated yet — ranked on what the job inherited alone. Coaches hired into this same job aren’t used as comps.
This winter
Our poach model, on his record so far, the win chances for every game he has left, his program, his pay and his background. Ranked against the 137 FBS head coaches this season. The zone words describe the market’s interest; none of them says he is leaving.
The biggest factors in his profile, each against the typical FBS head coach today. The games he has left are priced into the number, not listed here.
Tested on every FBS head coach from 2012 through 2025, each season scored by a model fit only on the seasons before it. From three games on, given one coach who left for a head-coaching job elsewhere or an NFL coordinator job and one who stayed, it ranked the one who left ahead 79 to 82% of the time; in a season’s first two games, 78%. Its average chance came within a point of the share who actually left. It counts a move a coach makes while he still holds the job; when his school ends it, that doesn’t count, even if another school then hires him.
Steady no large move in either direction on our stature ladder
Followed Tim Skipper (2025).
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits younger transfers than most — more of a development bet.
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Wayne Knight (2026)
Followed Curt Cignetti (2022–2023) · succeeded by Billy Napier (2026–now).
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||
| Record | 9-4 | 12-2 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | CFP loss | |
| Coordinators | |||
| OC | Dean Kennedy | Dean Kennedy | |
| DC | Lyle Hemphill | Colin Hitschler | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||
| Offense | 32 | 89 | |
| Defense | 91 | 93 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||
| 1st-down pass% | 45.9 | 39.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 39.3 | 26.4 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 45.0 | 36.4 | |
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
A portal-built roster.
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Coach of the Year: Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2025)
AI Narratives — “James Madison Ascends” and 4 more on the team page.
Pick a job to see its years on their own.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
2-0 against his rivals at James Madison.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
Tags describe each game; they aren’t scores. The weighting that picks these games is still being tested.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
2-0 against his rivals.
Tags describe each game; they aren’t scores. The weighting that picks these games is still being tested.
ATS is his record against the spread: did his team beat the closing betting line, winning by more than it or losing by less? Lines start in 2013; a dash means fewer than 6 of those games had one. One-score games carry no spread record: a big favorite that wins a close game has almost always failed to cover, so that number would say nothing about the coach.
Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next, against the FBS-wide average of 41% pass. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.
Four numbers on how he actually stocks a roster, from signing day to draft day.
None of his UCLA classes is ranked and fully his yet. Across his other stops, his own classes averaged #108 nationally.
James MadisonUCLAAcross every program: 1 ranked class of his own, averaging #108 nationally.
His class — he had the full signing cycleTransition — he was hired mid-cycle
Rank is each signing class’s national recruiting rank (#1 is best). Only a class he had a full signing cycle to build counts as his; inherited and mid-transition classes still show here, faded, but stay out of the average.
James Madison→UCLA2026Players who transferred from his old program to his new one through the portal in the same year he made the move. Name-matching across data sources misses some, so every count is a floor, not an exact number.
of his 2026 roster arrived on his watch — 64 of 121 players. The other 57 are holdovers from before he was hired.
Of his own players on this roster, 55% came through the transfer portal; the rest are non-portal arrivals (high-school signees, JUCO transfers, walk-ons).
Everyone he has brought in, 2026–2026Counting players who have since left: 55% of the 64 arrivals we can classify came through the portal.
“His own” means the player arrived while he was head coach; “inherited” means a predecessor brought him in.
is his biggest recruiting state: 14 of 21 signees (67%) across his 2026–2026 tenure, drawn from 6 states in all. Next: CO (3).
67% of his signees come from CA and its 3 border states.
Off this map: 2 signees to the east (AL, MA).
The map counts signed recruits across his tenure; the distance figures cover his current roster, transfers and walk-ons included. Two different groups, kept separate on purpose.
