How James Franklin Hiring Affects UCLA's Coaching Search

The Bruins are now one step closer to acquiring their top coaching candidate.

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field during a warmup prior to the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Believe it or not, the UCLA Bruins are one step closer to landing their top preferred coaching candidate after former Penn State coach James Franklin agreed to a deal to join Virginia Tech.

Of course, the Bruins would have loved a shot at landing Franklin themselves, but a colossal coaching carousel that grew seemingly every week made that next to impossible. Instead, UCLA is pursuing current James Madison head man Bob Chesney.

With Virginia Tech off the board as a serious contender for Chesney, UCLA gets one step closer to landing the target atop its coaching board.

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Chesney's Link to UCLA

The UCLA Bruins' season may be (unofficially) over after a 48-10 shellacking to the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes handed them their seventh loss of the season, but the coaching search is still on.

Former UCLA coach and current CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel, also father of current offensive play-caller, Jerry, revealed that a new name is closely linked to the Bruins' coaching vacancy -- James Madison coach Bob Chesney.

"I'm hearing Bob Chesney at UCLA," Neuheisel said during Saturday's CBS coverage. "He's got to make a decision. With Mike Elko reupping with Texas A&M, it seems like Penn State's still got a spot and Chesney's from the state of Pennsylvania, so maybe he's waiting for something a little bit closer to home."

Sep 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney talks with tight end Lacota Dippre (15) during the first quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Chesney and JMU just moved up to No. 21 on the latest AP Top 25 college football poll and are one of the Group of Five's top contenders to make the College Football Playoff. According to BruinReportOnline, Chesney is atop UCLA's coaching board.

The Bruins' coaching search has taken some major hits with all these juggernaut positions opening weekly. It's put a real damper on where the job ranks among others on the carousel.

Where UCLA's Coaching Opening Ranks Among Others

Sep 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney argues a call with an official during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The Athletic's Chris Vannini revisited the best openings in college football following the Billy Napier firing, and his ranking of the job openings was as follows:

1. LSU
2. Penn State
3. Florida
4. Auburn
5. Arkansas
6. UCLA
7. Oklahoma State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Stanford
10. Oregon State
11. Colorado State
12. UAB

The Athletic's estimated valuation of UCLA is set at $343 million, which ties it for 43rd among Power 4 programs. Vannini gave the Bruins' vacancy a B grade. Here's what he had to say:

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster following the loss against the Utah Utes at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

• "The idea of UCLA has long seemed better than the reality of UCLA. The Bruins haven’t won a conference championship since 1998 and haven’t posted a 10-win season in more than a decade. Fan apathy is showing up in the attendance figures at the Rose Bowl, and the athletic department’s financial problems have been piling up — the Bruins have been operating at a cumulative deficit of over $200 million over the last five years.

• "But it’s a Big Ten job in Southern California. That doesn’t mean all Big Ten jobs are better than all ACC or Big 12 jobs. But it means the Bruins’ ceiling and the floor should be higher, and the path to success is easy to envision.

• "The school needs a coach capable of setting up a better recruiting operation in California and exciting the fans and donors to spend for success. The expectation should be annual bowl games with periodic 10-win seasons."

The prospect of the UCLA coaching job has been vastly underrated by many outlets this season. Yes, the Bruins have been down over the last few years, but, as Vannini points out, there's a lot more to the job than just the recent success of the team.

UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper reacts in the first half of the NCAA college football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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