Coaching Candidate is a mini-series exploring potential head coaches at the FCS and FBS levels. Read more about the contracts and backgrounds of Ryan Silverfield, Charles Huff, Brent Vigen, Tim Polasek, Dan Mullen, and Jason Eck.
The coaching carousel picked up speed again this weekend, and with two weeks left in the season, Bob Chesney looks like he’s holding at least an admission ticket. The question now is whether he’ll take the ride.
Chesney arrived at Holy Cross in 2018 to replace Tom Gilmore, who had managed just one winning season in his final six years. At the time, Chesney was already a two-time Northeast-10 Coach of the Year with a 67-25 career record across Division II Assumption and Division III Salve Regina. He rebuilt both programs — taking over an Assumption team that had only two winning seasons in the previous 17 years and turning it into a five-year winner with three NCAA Tournament berths, while also snapping Salve Regina’s streak of eight straight losing seasons by delivering three winning campaigns. (Shout out to Colton Pool for his snapshot on Coach Chesney here).
Holy Cross needed that kind of jolt, and Chesney delivered. He inherited a program with four total wins over the prior two seasons and no conference title since 2009. From 2019–22, the Crusaders reached the FCS playoffs every year, advanced to the second round in 2021, made a 12-1 quarterfinal run in 2022, and posted a 7-4 mark in 2023. Along the way, he earned three Patriot League Coach of the Year awards and won five conference championships.
His trajectory has naturally drawn comparisons to Curt Cignetti … only Chesney is nearly two decades younger. With winning stops at every level and momentum on his side, he’s positioned as one of the more intriguing names as the carousel begins to spin.
Bob Chesney Contract:
Chesney is, somewhat surprisingly, one of the lowest-paid coaches in the Sun Belt — bottom three by most measures. In some metrics, he even ranks last, though a few built-in perks bump him up slightly, just not by much. He receives an annual $150,000 retention payment on January 31, essentially a guaranteed “bonus,” and another private-funded payment of roughly $70,000 on July 1, tied to fundraising language that isn’t actually dependent on him bringing in money.
The contract wording:
“In recognition of Coach’s active and ongoing engagement in raising resources for the JMU Duke Club and solicitation of sponsor and donor support, the university will pay a bonus, from private sources, as follows:”
Base Salary
- $550,000 annually, paid semi-monthly
- Contract runs from Feb. 23, 2024 – Jan. 31, 2029
Retention Bonuses
| Jan. 31, 2025 | $140,000 |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | $140,000 |
| Jan. 31, 2027 | $140,000 |
| Jan. 31, 2028 | $150,000 |
| Jan. 31, 2029 | $160,000 |
Fundraising Bonuses (Private Sources)
| July 1, 2024 | $60,000 |
| July 1, 2025 | $60,000 |
| July 1, 2026 | $70,000 |
| July 1, 2027 | $70,000 |
| July 1, 2028 | $80,000 |
This pushes his annual effective compensation toward the $750K–$800K+ range.
For what it’s worth, he has the standard bonuses plus a few unique ones, including a win-based bonus that can reach $50,000 for hitting 11 wins against FBS competition, starting at $25,000 for a seven-win season. An appearance in the College Football Playoff also nets Chesney a $100,000 bonus.
Termination Without Cause
Percent of all remaining compensation owed (salary + retention + fundraising):
- Start of contract – Jan. 31, 2026:
- 75% payout
- Feb. 1, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027:
- 85% payout
- Feb. 1, 2027 – Jan. 31, 2029:
- 100% payout
A very coach-friendly protection once he reaches Year 3.
Bob Chesney Buyout
This is the part athletic directors care about — what does it cost to hire Bob Chesney away?
The contract includes a tiered resignation clause with liquidated damages depending on timing and the conference affiliation of the hiring institution.
If Chesney resigns before Jan. 31, 2025
- Power 5 school: $1,750,000
- AAC school: $1,500,000
- Group of Five school: $1,250,000
Resignation between Feb. 1, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026
- Power 5: $1,250,000
- AAC: $1,000,000
- Group of Five: $750,000
Resignation between Feb. 1, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027
- Flat $500,000 buyout (conference no longer matters)
Resignation between Feb. 1, 2027 – Jan. 31, 2029
- Flat $250,000 buyout
Now the big question: does he stay or go? Over the last week, he’s been linked heavily to openings such as Penn State and is even rumored to be the choice if James Franklin declines Virginia Tech’s interest.
Let the ride begin.
