Bob Chesney Opens Up About His Journey to UCLA

Bob Chesney's coaching journey has led him to become the head coach for the UCLA football team in 2026, rising from Division III to the FCS to the Group of Five to Power 4 competition.

He has led each program he's overseen to new heights quickly after taking over, including a trip to the College Football Playoff with James Madison last season. A college football coach with that track record will have plenty of suitors, but UCLA landed his services because of what it can offer its student-athletes.

"Everywhere I've been prior to this, there were certain things and aspects that I liked," Chesney told the Big Ten Network in a recent interview. "... You just felt like you were changing people's lives -- giving them options and giving them something that's a little bit different than they could get anywhere else. When I looked at UCLA, it had all of those things in one, and that was it for me."

Reflecting on the Journey

ucla footbal — Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney looks on during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Chesney is meeting this new opportunity head-on, while remembering where he came from. It's a journey that's involved many seemingly menial tasks, such as doing laundry, helping with work study programs, and serving as a team manager in other sports. But now is when it all becomes worth it.

"When you get to those spots, you realize there's no job too small," Chesney said. "You realize that those are the people who often get forgotten or not even thought of until something goes wrong. So for me, the idea of gratitude, the idea of appreciation, and just the idea of knowing how hard and how long it took me to get to this moment. You've got to make sure that you continue to dance with the woman that brought you and understand that those people and those little things matter."

For Chesney, those people first and foremost include his family, and he learned how he wanted to approach that aspect of this move from his previous experiences. The last time he got a new job, he spent eight months renting out a place with a few of the other coaches. This time, it was quite the opposite.

"I knew I wanted to have my family with me," Chesney explained. "It was very tough to be away from them for that long, and I really wanted to make sure that we got a chance to get them here, especially with such a big move across the country. I wanted to get them here, get them in school, let them figure it out and make some friends so that they don't go a whole summer wondering what school's going to be like."

"There was a lot that was just a go, and I didn't have a whole lot of time to say, 'Let me take in my surroundings,'" he recalled. "It was more about how we get this team together as quickly as we can. And we did that,"

But with all the hoopla surrounding his hire and the nature of the UCLA academic and athletic calendars, Chesney didn't have much of a chance to take in his new destination himself, until things slowed down over the summer. Now, the task is keeping that going on the field when the games count.

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