Bob Chesney is increasingly becoming a hot commodity in the college football coaching carousel this year. He may even be up for some of the top jobs in the country.
The James Madison head coach has led the Dukes to a great amount of success in a short amount of time. And now he’s reportedly being considered at schools like Penn State and UCLA. Here’s more information about his candidacy at those places:
Bob Chesney To Penn State?
Penn State is arguably one of the top jobs in college football that’s open right now, and Chesney is considered to be a strong candidate.
Penn State has been exploring several options, according to The Athletic, including hiring Chesney or Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key.
Although it would be a big step up compared to other places he’s coached, Chesney would make sense if Penn State was looking for an up-and-coming name. He’s from Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, and was an all-conference defensive back at Dickinson College, where he graduated in 2000.
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Bob Chesney To UCLA?
CBS Sports reported Sunday night that Chesney is a “top person of interest” for the UCLA head coaching vacancy.
A couple weeks ago, CBS commentator Rick Neuheisel said, “I’m hearing Bob Chesney from James Madison at UCLA. He’s gotta make a decision.”
Basically all of Chesney’s experience is at East Coast schools, but that highlights how much intrigue he’s garnering. And maybe UCLA believes that Chesney could be both an excellent coach and recruiter like he’s been on the other side of the country.
Bob Chesney’s Record
Bob Chesney is 20-5 in the FBS as a head coach. He’s 132-51 as a head coach regardless of division.
This season, JMU is 11-1 overall and 8-0 in Sun Belt play. The Dukes are playing in the Sun Belt Championship next week.
Bob Chesney’s Background
Chesney had been considered for other FBS openings, including Syracuse, before going to JMU. And Chesney has the type of head coaching experience big-name schools may want after his time at JMU.
Chesney was previously the head coach at Holy Cross from 2018-23. The Crusaders were in the FCS playoffs every season from 2019-22. They reached the second round of the playoffs in 2021 and got to the quarterfinals in 2022, finishing with a 12-1 overall record. Holy Cross was 7-4 in 2023.
Chesney was the Patriot League Coach of the Year three times, leading the program to five conference championships.
Before Holy Cross, he was a head coach at the Division II level at Assumption College and at the Division III level at Salve Regina University.
Chesney was also an assistant at Johns Hopkins from 2005-09, King’s College from 2003-04, Delaware Valley College in 2002, and Norwich University from 2000-01.
