According to multiple reports, including ESPN, UCLA has its next head coach. Bob Chesney, formerly the head man at JMU, is expected to sign a five-year deal that will be finalized after the Dukes play in their conference championship game.
Chesney was a target for multiple big-name schools in the midst of a coaching search. One school that was continually tied to him was Penn State, but the Nittany Lions seem to be going in other directions. They have been tied to BYU’s Kalani Sitake more recently.
Chesney is a defensive-minded coach, playing defensive back at Dickson as a player and serving as a defensive coordinator before getting any head coaching jobs. His time at JMU was his first at the FBS level as a player, assistant or head coach. Despite the inexperience, he produced a 9-4 record in year one before going 11-1 in 2025.
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Now, he may have a former five-star quarterback to work with. Nico Iamaleava, the transfer during the spring portal that caused a stir across the sport, has two years of eligibility remaining. He is draft eligible and may look to transfer for a second time in his career, though, which would mean he isn’t united with Chesney.
The former Tennessee signal caller finished his second year as a college starter throwing for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The year prior with the Vols, he accounted for 2,616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and five picks.
Iamaleava has not yet made his intentions clear for what his next move will be. UCLA went 3-9 this season and fired head coach DeShaun Foster after the poor start. Tim Skipper took over as the interim coach and helped Iamaleava win those three games, but he may have his eyes set elsewhere after the disappointing season.
NFL teams may take a swing at his talent in the draft, but the lack of production makes it unlikely he’ll be toward the top of the quarterback big board in this cycle.
