The belle of the ball in any coaching cycle would typically be a coach with the profile of Bob Chesney at UCLA, a true young star in the coaching ranks who immediately took what is historically considered a basketball school to the Big Ten and national championship.
This is a down coaching cycle at the moment, especially midseason, compared to the relative craziness of 2025, when there were no real blue blood job offers outside of Florida State. UCLA is certainly working on its part to make sure Chesney isn’t unique as the leader of the Bruins.
Sources tell CBS Sports that UCLA is working to sign him to a new deal and has been in dialogue for at least a month. On the heels of Wake Forest reaches new deal with Jake DickertUCLA is vying to be the next school to reach a new deal with its head coach. After the departure of Martin Jarmond, Tim Harris is the school’s CEO and athletic director. Harris, a UCLA alum, spent three decades with the Lakers, and locking up Chesney would be a significant victory for the first part of his tenure. Both sides are optimistic a deal will be reached soon, sources told CBS Sports.
Curt Cignetti’s plan
Schools were looking for their version of Curt Cignetti. Coaching cycles have archetypes, and the one currently in vogue is the proven winner.
But there’s a difference between hiring a coach who’s had a good year or two and hiring someone who’s won at every rank, as Cignetti did when he bet on himself to leave Alabama as an assistant in the first part of Nick Saban’s dynasty to go to Division II IUP. He won there, at Elon, James Madison, and then finally at Indiana, but it was a remarkable run compared to Ryan Day or Lincoln Riley, whose first head coaching jobs were at some of the most prestigious programs in sports history.
Chesney has won at every stage of NCAA-sanctioned college football. He won a conference championship and went 9-2 at Division III Salve Regina. He won two conference titles at Division II Assomption. He won four conference championships at Holy Cross and reached an FCS quarterfinal, and like Cignetti, he won a conference title at JMU (Chesney’s also came with a College Football Playoff berth).
Winners win, as the old adage goes, and in today’s college football, schools are more likely to seek out coaches who have a proven track record on the field. Of the 16 Power Four conference jobs open in 2025, 11 went to coaches who had head coaching experience or were head coaches at other schools. A 12th, Ole Miss, went with Pete Golding, who was the interim coach during the team’s CFP run.
Troy Aikman calls UCLA attendance ’embarrassing’ as undefeated Bruins chase CFP spot
Brad Crawford
Can UCLA maintain its momentum?
There is a constant conversation about how seriously UCLA takes athletics in general. It’s a subplot that never really goes away in the show.
In a letter to UCLA supporters, Chancellor Julio Frank wrote, “UCLA Athletics is currently experiencing a significant financial deficit and its current trajectory is unsustainable.” He said the future goal is a model that “funds itself through the revenue it generates.”
Donor contributions declined every year in the four years before Chesney was hired, and part of Harris’ task will be to modernize revenue generation.
Participation in the Rose Bowl is a constant topic of discussion around the program, as seats are empty and several sections are tarped in the venerable venue, even as UCLA remains undefeated. Chesney actually spoke about it in late October after the team’s win over Michigan State, charging his players to contribute to the effort by connecting with their classmates to get a better student section.
“The student section took a while to get in, and then it felt like they were leaving a little bit early,” Chesney told reporters. “They also need to do a better job – we all need to do a better job, but we probably need to get more involved and make sure our guys in the classrooms are talking about it with everyone… We’ve done everything we can as far as tickets and travel plans and free admission. All those things, I think the administration is doing a great job. We just need to make sure everyone on this campus is talking about it.”
UCLA alumnus Troy Aikman was more vocal, calling the participation “a little embarrassing.” It’s not just about the Bruins, as their crosstown rivals USC are in the same boat when it comes to attendance talk, but that doesn’t help the perception of the program as the team moves forward.
Any extension allowing Chesney to keep him in Westwood would likely come with an improved roster package, and that will be real money to take the Bruins higher than what sources say is a $20 million-plus roster to match what consistent Big Ten and national title rosters cost, which is around $40 million. Chesney and general manager Darrick Yray have assembled a roster of former JMU players, including star running back Wayne Knight (12 years, including about six who are significant contributors), and the team has a physical style that has proven to be enough of a platform to help Ty Dieffenbach continue the team’s success in Nico Iamaleava’s absence.
UCLA is working hard to prove that Chesney’s success in his first year is more than just a blip, and retaining him will be key to that pursuit.
Gn sports
