James Madison head coach Bob Chesney has emerged as UCLA's choice to lead the Bruins, and a five-year deal is expected to be finalized once JMU wraps up its Sun Belt championship appearance, according to ESPN.
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Chesney's Dukes are 11-1 and preparing for Troy this weekend. Per ESPN, UCLA and James Madison have agreed that Chesney will coach the Dukes in the Sun Belt title game and, if JMU wins and lands in the College Football Playoff field as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions, he will stay on for the postseason run.
Sources told ESPN that Chesney informed his players on Monday he intends to leave after the season. His name quickly shot to the top of multiple searches during this chaotic coaching cycle, with JMU ranked nineteenth in both the AP and Coaches polls.
Once the deal is complete, UCLA gets a coach with a proven blueprint for turning programs around. Athletic director Martin Jarmond and the school's search committee zeroed in on Chesney early, impressed by his ability to build winners at every stop. Chesney has gone 20-5 at JMU and owns a 131-51 record as a head coach over 16 seasons, with successful rebuilds at Division III Salve Regina, Division II Assumption and FCS power Holy Cross.
UCLA has been searching for a new voice since firing DeShaun Foster in mid-September following an 0-3 start. Foster finished his two seasons at 5-10, and the Bruins are 8-16 overall in their brief Big Ten tenure.
The search committee, which included prominent alumni like former Warriors GM Bob Myers and Commanders GM Adam Peters, traveled to Virginia nearly three weeks ago to meet with Chesney.
UCLA also met with three other candidates but quickly identified Chesney as the right fit, valuing his small-college roots, academic background and detailed plan to rebuild the program.
