Reports: UCLA plans to hire James Madison’s Bob Chesney as its next football coach

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Madison's Bob Chesney is expected to be hired as UCLA's new football coach, according to multiple reports Monday.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Madison’s Bob Chesney is expected to be hired as UCLA’s new football coach, according to multiple reports Monday.

The Bruins have not yet announced a deal with Chesney, whose No. 19 Dukes are 11-1 heading into the Sun Belt Conference title game against Troy on Friday. With a win, James Madison has a chance to be in the College Football Playoff.

UCLA finished 3-9 this season under interim coach Tim Skipper, who replaced DeShaun Foster three games into the year. Foster went 5-10 as the stopgap replacement for Chip Kelly, who abruptly left the Bruins in February 2024, well after the year’s coaching cycle had concluded.

James Madison head coach Bob Chesney claps after his team made a field goal against Coastal Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Conway, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
James Madison head coach Bob Chesney claps after his team made a field goal against Coastal Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Conway, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

The high-priced Kelly’s underwhelming six-year tenure was the latest football disappointment for the Bruins, who have just three 10-win seasons and no conference titles in the 21st century. UCLA has had seven losing seasons in the last decade and is 6-12 in conference play in its first two seasons in the Big Ten.

The 48-year-old Chesney has stellar credentials after going 20-5 in two standout seasons at James Madison as the replacement for Curt Cignetti. Before that, the Pennsylvania native went 44-21 in six seasons at Holy Cross in the FCS.

His success made him one of the hottest candidates in the current coaching cycle, and UCLA quickly identified Chesney as a candidate to fix a program with significant potential beyond its recent achievements. Along with its attractive campus in talent-rich Los Angeles, the Bruins have solid training facilities in Westwood while playing their home games at the Rose Bowl ahead of a possible move to SoFi Stadium as soon as next season.

Foster was fired when UCLA got off to a dismal 0-3 start this season despite the arrival of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a Tennessee transfer.

Skipper, a well-liked veteran assistant coach, improbably led the Bruins to three consecutive wins over Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland before the Bruins lost their final five games.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football

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