Saturday, Jan. 31<\/a> discussed with the Post his early successes and the work that remains to be done before the season opener at California on Sept. 5:<\/p>\nYou brought over both of your coordinators and several other assistants from James Madison and hired some people you haven\u2019t worked with. What was the formula you used to assemble this staff?<\/p>\n
It always starts with the competence piece first, right? Like, be good at what you do. I think that\u2019s important. And then the next thing becomes their ability to connect, you know? What type of people are they and how well do they connect with the players and people in general and I think that was really important for me.<\/p>\n
When I look at our guys and the kind of staff we assembled, I think they\u2019re all really good, strong connectors. Not only that, I wanted them to be men of high character and I wanted the chemistry in that room to work really well and I think we got to our first staff meeting and hit the ground running and it\u2019s been great ever since. I think we truly enjoy being around each other right now. I think everybody feels valued \u2014\u00a0that was all important.<\/p>\n
UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmon, left, new UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney, center, and UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk pose for photos during a ceremony to introduce Chesney at UCLA on Dec. 9, 2025. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n
But I knew I needed to keep continuity within the framework of offense, defense, special teams, strength and conditioning, you know? So some of the bigger-picture things that the lead guys in those rooms could sort of run with right away and hit the ground running and not have to slow down but bring in guys from different backgrounds that could help us continue to grow, you know? And not just say, \u2018Hey, this is just how we do it\u2019 but \u2018Hey, this is what we\u2019ve done and I\u2019d like to hear what have you guys done and how is this similar or what things are we missing that could be done differently?\u2019<\/p>\n
So having that diversity in the staff is really important and I think also not only from different levels, but I wanted some guys to remain on staff here that have institutional knowledge and at the same point and time guys who have West Coast connections because I know that\u2019s where obviously I\u2019m deficient and I know I can\u2019t just pick up and plug in the JMU program and say, \u2018This is it, this is how it works.\u2019 I need to make sure that I bring that balance and I am ready to adapt. People here definitely have to adapt a little bit to me, but mostly me and my staff have to adapt to our new home.<\/p>\n
What should fans who aren\u2019t familiar with your philosophy expect to see from your offense and defense and how heavily involved will you be in those schemes?<\/p>\n
Yeah, I\u2019ll be very involved in those schemes. Being a D-III coach and working up to D-II and FCS, you\u2019re probably a little more involved than maybe you want to be where you\u2019re involved in absolutely all of it at those lower levels because you just don\u2019t have as many coaches or as many high-caliber coaches just based on the position and the finances that come with it, so that\u2019s kind of how I started and along the way we\u2019ve been fortunate enough to win a lot of games, so I would not really want to move away from that model a whole lot.<\/p>\n
Jan Kim Lim\/UCLA<\/p>\n
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But what should they expect to see? I would expect them just to see a disciplined team that absolutely plays extremely hard all the time regardless of the situation they\u2019re in. Never counts themselves out, doesn\u2019t put self-limitations on themselves and believes they can accomplish anything. Goes out there and is fundamentally sound, schematically competent, situationally aware and protects the football and does a good job of getting the football back and applying pressure just in all phases \u2014 in offense, defense and special teams. We want to be applying pressure all the time and playing with emotion and just passion for the game and belief in one another. I think you\u2019ll see a united team.<\/p>\n
How would you assess your success in the transfer portal after bringing in 41 players?<\/p>\n
I think we did a really good job. I think that for the short period of time we had to work with and we have to just bolster this NIL piece of it, which we\u2019re hoping to do in the immediate future, but it very quickly gave us a good understanding of what this market is really like. And I think we knew, but I think everybody\u2019s going through it differently \u2014 I was just at the Bear Bryant Awards and we were talking about the way this market really accelerated in this past year. You know, guys that numbers most coaches had in their minds were sometimes doubled and tripled in this cycle, and I think that has a lot to do with there\u2019s only one portal window, you\u2019re not holding anything back and you\u2019ve got to get it right because if you don\u2019t get it right you don\u2019t have a second chance to get it right, so I think that has a lot to do with sort of the feeding frenzy that exists at this moment.<\/p>\n
James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney looks on during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
But I thought we did a good job for what we had and what we needed to accomplish, I think there\u2019s certain rooms that you could look at and just know that they needed to be totally rebuilt and I thought we did a really good job of that. I think that our coaches understood what we were looking for. I don\u2019t think we relented on the type of people either. I think that in a world of speed dating, I think we got competent, really good football players, but I think as you walk through that building, you know you see them as genuinely good people as well and I think that\u2019s important because we\u2019re going to spend a lot of time together and I want to make sure that we\u2019re focused on not just football but that we\u2019re also surrounding ourselves with people that are sharing a common goal together and enjoy doing it because I think that\u2019s where the real success comes from.<\/p>\n
What would you say was your pitch to the transfers and was the recruiting process much easier with the guys you were trying to bring over from James Madison?<\/p>\n
Yeah, you would think so. To some level it was, but we missed on really two or three of them that really got out of our price range and we couldn\u2019t compete any more with, so that was a little bit different. But there were others that we were lower than their price range and still came and then there were others that we were spot on, so I think it all depended on what they were looking for and what was their intention of getting in the portal in the first place, right, I think is the real question.<\/p>\n
But I thought we did fine with what we were not pitching but what we were presenting. You\u2019re talking about the No. 1 public school in the country that\u2019s positioned in an unbelievable spot within the second-largest media market with alums that carry a lot of weight and are going to help you with life after football, which I think is important on the most applied-to school in the country and a team that hasn\u2019t won in the immediate past. You can be someone to come in here and make a huge impact and change the entire thought process about what modern-day UCLA football is.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s really what we were talking about, so if you want to make an impact, if you want a school that\u2019s going to make an impact on you and if you want to be around good people that are going to give everything and pour it into each other every single day and at the same point know that we can help you get to the next level and not only develop you and get you to the next level but the level after the football level and what life looks like at 24, if you make this decision with us, but also what life looks like at 44 if you make this decision with us. I think those are things that I feel confident about that what we have here at UCLA and certainly can set them up for both of those futures.<\/p>\n
Bob Chesney Head Coach of James Madison Dukes in action in the second quarter during a game against Washington State Cougars at Bridgeforth Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Getty Images<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve said one of the things that fueled your success was listening. Has there been anything you\u2019ve heard since you\u2019ve taken the job that\u2019s either opened your eyes a little bit or changed your approach to having success at UCLA?<\/p>\n
I think the one thing that I just needed to understand was just the inner workings of the amount of people that have their hands on each of these top-tier recruits on the West Coast. From seven-on-seven coaches to handlers to agents to parents to high school coaches to trainers. You know, there could be six to seven different people that are connected and have some say in the decision process of these kids, where a lot of times on the East Coast, especially in the northeast, it\u2019s the high school coaches and that\u2019s the end of the story. That\u2019s not necessarily what rings true here, so we have to do a good job of understanding who those players are in each of these scenarios and making sure we\u2019re doing a good job of connecting with them as well because if they\u2019re going to have an impact on the decision in some way, we have to make sure that we\u2019re doing a good job of communicating our message and our plan for that player.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve expanded the recruiting staff and have been visiting a lot of high schools. How pleased have you been with the connections you\u2019ve built and were you told by those coaches that your outreach was at a level that it hadn\u2019t been from UCLA recently?<\/p>\n
Yeah, especially today because today I was more in the public school area of downtown L.A. So I think being in there, it\u2019s just something that they commented on that they had never seen \u2014 I think Jim Mora, they said, was through before, but since that they haven\u2019t seen someone come through here at all. So I wasn\u2019t looking for that necessary response \u2014 I wasn\u2019t looking for any response, I was just doing my job and it was kind of cool to hear that because it just made me really understand that there\u2019s some low-hanging fruit here that we can really help build these relationships up again if they were lacking and there\u2019s no reason for that to be, so I feel confident about that.<\/p>\n
Bob Myers, who was on the selection committee, said you would be supported with resources that put UCLA in the top third or top quartile of the Big Ten. Have you seen any evidence of that?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t necessarily 100% know the answer to that question as far as what other people have. From what I\u2019m gathering and learning, I would say there\u2019s areas where we might be and then there\u2019s areas where we\u2019re probably not. I just know that in recruiting, when Oregon or Ohio State \u2014 or name a school in the Big Ten or the SEC \u2014 when they want a guy, they seem to have the funds to get a guy at all costs and I know that that\u2019s not necessarily the case here. But I think that there\u2019s probably things that we are and there\u2019s probably others that we aren\u2019t, and I think that sort of comprehensive look in getting some true behind-the-scenes quantifiable data to help us do like a gap analysis, I think, is necessary. I don\u2019t know that we definitely have all the resources to get those answers as cleanly as we might want, but I would say that there\u2019s things that we\u2019re probably right on par and there\u2019s others that we\u2019re pretty far behind. I think that that\u2019s something that we have to do a good job of understanding and attacking and a lot of it\u2019s going to have to do with our alumni base and just their ability to compete with a modern-day football program because a lot of it is controlled by that.<\/p>\n
Along those lines, where do things stand with the team\u2019s NIL endeavors through Men of Westwood and what needs to be done to get that aspect operating at the level you want?<\/p>\n
Well, I think it\u2019s similar to recruiting, right? I think there has to be access and I think we have to do a good job of making sure that they understand the commitment and what it\u2019s going toward and how much it affects this program. I think, again, giving them quantifiable data and real-life anecdotes into where this has allowed us to have success, but I think everyone will be hesitant initially and I think that\u2019s natural. I think when we start seeing this recruiting class that we put together that\u2019s probably is one of the better ones that I would imagine has come through here in the transfer portal world \u2014 I would imagine it\u2019s one of the better ones \u2014 I think that gives you a little bit of trust. Then I think when you start learning a little more, coming around to a winter practice and a spring practice and start saying, \u2018OK, well, this gives me a little more trust into how things are being done\u2019 and then eventually we get on the field and see the product that\u2019s out there, I think that enables people to say, \u2018They need our help and I love what they\u2019re doing and I want to be part of this.\u2019 I think that\u2019s ultimately what we need to do, but that starts with us ultimately, you know, and then it trickles down to the belief that we\u2019re investing in something that is going to have a positive return.<\/p>\n
Bob Chesney of the James Madison Dukes lifts the Howard Schnellenberger championship trophy after defeating the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at FAU Stadium on December 18, 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Have you set a spring practice schedule and know when it will start?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start in April after we get back from spring break and as of today we\u2019re gonna go Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday with a Friday or two mixed in there all the way until we reach our 15 practices.<\/p>\n
What will you be looking to get out of those practices?<\/p>\n
Well, as coaches, a good understanding of our ability and our depth, a good understanding of how our players react and handle the new scheme, how they react and handle the pressure, what type of game are they playing? Is it a discipline game, is it a well fought-out, sort of reactive game where they sort of control the emotion of it or is it an impulsive game that leads to many mistakes \u2014 those are the questions that, to me, when you\u2019re coming off a 3-9 season, there\u2019s a lot that needs to be answered quickly. I think right now in the weight room, I love watching their unity and what they do and we\u2019ll continue to push them into the winter segment of this and make there be some challenging, physical, conditioning-type days and then after that, we head into spring ball. That is really the moment where we finally put those pads on and just start to see exactly what we\u2019re made of.<\/p>\n
Can you talk more about the unity in the weight room you just mentioned?<\/p>\n
Yeah, well, right now we\u2019re just in a spot where they\u2019re with coach [Chris] Grautski, our strength coach, and we lift as two different groups \u2014 as our skill players and then as our bigger line players. There\u2019s running that happens every day, just a bit of conditioning and form running that we initially do for these first three weeks and then when that\u2019s done, we break into five different teams and when we break into those five different teams they\u2019ll just be immense amounts of competition going on in almost every single thing that we do. It\u2019s going to be where they draft the teams themselves and then they\u2019re accountable to those teams in many different things, from weight room to physical \u2014 whether it be endurance running or some competition out on the field or in the weight room or whether it\u2019s something as simple as our locker room being kept clean, whatever it might be, there\u2019s a million different things that we want them to understand it all matters. We can\u2019t win games until we play them, which is somewhere in September, but at the same point and time, what you do today certainly effects your ability to win those games at a later date.<\/p>\n
James Madison head coach Bob Chesney tosses the ball before the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff against Oregon, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. AP<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve spoken about the importance of engaging fans and other members of the UCLA community. What have been the early efforts to do that?<\/p>\n
Yeah, well, I think it was the early phases of around the [introductory] press conference getting to meet people. [Athletic director] Martin [Jarmond] has brought around a few alums from basketball games that came over and had a chance to meet with us. I\u2019ve had one or two guys reach out to some of our players and start a mentorship program that we\u2019re trying to get off the ground. Tonight, we have an event with 15 or 20 different alums that we\u2019re going to have a chance to share a dinner with here and be present with them.Then for me when I get out in the community right now in recruiting, if there\u2019s someone in that community who\u2019s from UCLA, I try to make sure that I meet up with them and say \u2018Hi\u2019 at least and show some face, including just doing that today as we went through my day that was something we\u2019re doing whenever I can. So as much as I can interact, as much as I can be engaged in those moments are things that I really want to be able to continue to do and I feel like we\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve said success in Year 1 would be winning, but is there a record or some sort of tangible threshold that would satisfy you?<\/p>\n
No, I just don\u2019t think we should have limits on it and I don\u2019t want to put down an arbitrary number, but I don\u2019t think that any of us should have limits on what we can do, right? Why put self-imposed limits on it? I think you\u2019ve got to dream big here and you\u2019ve got to think big and then you\u2019ve got to act big and you\u2019ve got to play big and those are things that I don\u2019t want our guys to even think about. I want them to think about the day-to-day process of how hard can they go today, win their meeting with their position coach. Did they do it better than any other team in the Big Ten? Did they lift weights better than any other team in the Big Ten and just the constant thought of, am I absolutely giving my 100% best, am I putting myself in a situation \u2014 and not about comparison necessarily but to the point of that is the absolute best that I can take a note in this meeting today, or that is the absolute best that I could move this weight in the weight room today or that is my absolute best that I could whatever it is. Those are the things that I want them to be thinking about every single day, that they have to be elite, they have got to be their best and they have to do that every single day.<\/p>\n
What do you think will be the most important factor in determining how the team fares in 2026?<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s staying focused on their daily improvement, them being able to take coaching and being able to ignore the outside noise, pay attention to the people in that building and in their [position] rooms and not get emotional about it. Put themselves in a spot where they are just focused on correcting the motion over and over again, removing emotion and know that every single day you get up, you have a chance of being a better version of yourself. As long as we\u2019re doing that on a day-to-day basis \u2014 not worry about any of the outside stuff, focus totally on our improvement and being better than I was the day before \u2014 I think that will affect our team in a major way more than anything else.<\/p>\n
Is there anything you\u2019d like to add about your start at UCLA?<\/p>\n
Yeah, I just want everybody to keep thinking big. I want everybody to keep imagining this program being what they would hope it would be and I know everybody\u2019s hopes are different, but I just say that as I sit with these recruits as well \u2014 it\u2019s the same conversation. Don\u2019t tell me you just like the defense we run or your coach \u2014 like, think big here; this is a place that could change your life for the rest of your life. We all have these moments in our life where we make a decision that you can pinpoint this one decision that set up the rest of our lives \u2014 good or bad \u2014 and I think here with the location and alumni and support and school and all the things that come with it, this is a decision I think we all should make, support and get behind and just dream big and know that we\u2019re all impactful. More so than it\u2019s ever happened in the history of college football before, we can impact this team \u2014 we all can impact this team in ways bigger than we ever dreamed, so just keep dreaming big and keep getting involved. That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bob Chesney is already putting some of his predecessors to shame. Just imagine what might happen once the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1443,339,4413,7,1014,49,48,9,517],"class_list":{"0":"post-705934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-college-sports","10":"tag-exclusive","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-ncaa","14":"tag-ncaa-football","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-ucla"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115960495726811354","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}