Chesney Aims To Take UCLA Football to ‘Different Level’

UCLA began its spring football practices on Thursday, officially kicking off the Bob Chesney Era in Los Angeles as the Bruins look to start fresh under their new head coach.

The former James Madison boss is tasked with turning around the program as it enters its third season in the Big Ten Conference, and he's hoping to raise its standards and return the Bruins to competing on a national level, as previous coaches have accomplished.

"It's a proud program that just hasn't been there for a minute," he told the media at Thursday's practice. "... It was important for me to have an idea of the successful guys that have come through here. I want to try to emulate some of that. I've got to be my own self, obviously, in here, and our coaches have to be their own selves, but we've got to take it to a different level. There's a different standard around here. It's different this time around."

Going to the Next Level

It has to be different this time around because UCLA hasn't fared well since its move to the Big Ten and hasn't had a winning season since 2023. For a program with UCLA's history, that's unacceptable.

The current landscape of college football offers a quick fix through NIL and the transfer portal, which UCLA is absolutely using, but ultimately, the solution to create long-term sustainable success comes from building a winning culture through practicing winning habits.

ucla footbal — Dec 9, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins football coach Bob Chesney (center) poses with athletic director Martin Jarmond (left) and chancellor Julio Frenk at introductory press conference at Renee Luskin Conference Center Centennial Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Ultimately, what you allow to happen out there is going to carry over every single day moving forward," Chesney explained. "So if you don't break whatever habits that were there but not good and you don't celebrate the good things that you liked, you're probably not going to see a repeat of the good things, and you'll probably see a whole lot of the bad things."

Bad things have happened repeatedly for the Bruins over the past two seasons, though at this point, it may feel like longer. But Chesney was brought in to shake things up, instilling new values and principles while bringing in players to help establish the culture he hopes to build and fuel success through healthy competition.

And that competition, in theory, will lead to a better product on the field, whether it's a seemingly meaningless practice in the spring or an intense game day moment.

"It's all got to keep gearing up to get us to walk out on this field and be ready to get to work," he added. "They'll always have something to work on. They'll always have stuff to get better at. They'll always have something to improve upon. Those things they've got to attack on a day-to-day basis."

Coach Chesney on the team’s attitude on day one of Spring Ball. 🐻🏈@CoachBobChesney #4sup pic.twitter.com/F9Jnq0847z
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 3, 2026

Taking It Day by Day

Attacking those things daily includes giving it your all every play, and that's another thing Chesney and his staff are emphasizing at UCLA. That "different level" they want to reach requires it, and there's a simple technique they're using to help the lesson sink in for the players while also boosting their confidence.

"I just want them to feel that they've competed as hard as they possibly can," Chesney said, "We talk about a mirror test. Don't worry about what your coach says. Don't worry about what your teammates say. Go look yourself in the mirror. That's all you've got to know."

Chesney clearly has a vision for what he wants this UCLA program to be, but we're still in the early stages. There will be trials and tribulations throughout his tenure, but if it leads the Bruins back to a competitive playing level and their proud standards, it will all be worth the gamble.