Bob Chesney is officially changing the culture at UCLA, and people are noticing.
Troy Aikman, former UCLA All-American and Davey O’Brien Award winner, appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday and spoke about his excitement for Chesney.
“As someone who’s been around a lot of really great coaches, you just kind of know when one has it, and this guy has it,” Aikman said. “He’s proven it everywhere he’s been.”
Chesney just finished coaching in his first game for UCLA, and it was a statement win as the team toppled California, 45-24. The Bruins made a major halftime adjustment and committed to the running game, totaling 277 yards.
Senior running backs Anthony Woods and Wayne Knight led the rushing attack and combined for five touchdowns.
It was the first time the Bruins prevailed over California since 2022, when both schools were still Pac-12 members.
“It was such a great hire for UCLA, and it was a big win to go on the road,” Aikman said. “… I think for a lot of these teams, you raise the expectations for your university and for your football team, and then you go into Week 1, and if you don’t have success, I think sometimes things tend to fall a little flat.”
Since Chesney arrived from James Madison, he’s been focused on bringing back a winning culture to UCLA, which has failed to play in a bowl game for the last two seasons.
Former Bruins running back DeShaun Foster was fired as coach after UCLA started 0-3 last season, including a 35-10 loss to New Mexico in his final game.
After Foster’s firing, UCLA created a committee to find its next head coach which included Casey Wasserman, Bob Myers (who helped create the Warriors’ dynasty), Eric Kendricks, Adam Peters and Erin Adkins.
The committee announced it was hiring Chesney shortly after the regular season concluded. He led James Madison to the College Football Playoff with a 12-2 record.
Aside from changing the culture, Chesney has also been active in helping UCLA regain its footing when it comes to recruiting.
247Sports has UCLA ranked with the No.19 recruiting class in the country. During this process, Chesney has been spotted attending practices at high schools across Southern California.
“Super excited about him and what he’s going to do for the program,” Aikman said.
