The UCLA football program has been in a state of flux for more than a year as hiring DeShaun Foster as head coach didn’t yield expected results.
Foster went 5-7 in his first season as Bruins head coach, then started this year 0-3 before getting fired. UCLA named Tim Skipper as interim head coach to finish out the 2025 season and have since hired Bob Chesney away from James Madison University.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts assisted the Bruins with their head coach search, spoke with Chesney, and hopes Bruins fans immediately show their support, per Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times:
“But I will say this: I hope Bruin Nation doesn’t take a wait-and-see approach with coach Chesney and his staff. My encouragement is that we kind of go out there and take a leap of faith and support the program and let that momentum build into what he’s going to do.”
As the UCLA football team has struggled on the field, fan support at the Rose Bowl has waned. It’s prompted consideration for the Bruins to begin playing future home games at SoFi Stadium, where among other notable differences, there are more luxury suite options.
While UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond has faced criticism for his football hires and other decisions, the university has garnered universal praise for naming Chesney as the new head coach. He led the Dukes to a 12-1 record, Sun Belt conference championship and berth in the College Football Playoff.
Unfortunately for Chesney and the Dukes, their season ended in a sound defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks in the first round. Now the 48-year-old is set to take over the Bruins football program on a full-time basis.
Dodgers manager challenged UCLA’s Bob Chesney
Roberts has spoken highly of Chesney and being confident in his ability to lead UCLA, and revealed their conversations included direct talks that entailed challenging him.
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