Bob Chesney’s arrival at UCLA comes with a clear selling point for Nico Iamaleava: this is a coach who has already built offenses around quarterbacks who can beat you with both their arm and their legs.
That matters because Chesney’s track record is hard to ignore. At James Madison, Alonza Barnett III flourished over two seasons under Chesney, and before that Matthew Sluka put up big numbers at Holy Cross in Chesney’s system before heading to UNLV in 2024. Iamaleava, though, is the most gifted quarterback Chesney has had in his hands.
Chesney’s rise has been steady and methodical, moving from Division III to Division II, then to the Football Bowl Subdivision at Holy Cross, then to Group of Six success at James Madison, and now to UCLA. In each of his last three stops, his teams reached NCAA Playoff appearances. Now he gets a quarterback with a much bigger profile and a lot more talent than the ones he has coached before.
Barnett’s production at James Madison shows how well the system can work. Over four seasons under current Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and Chesney, he completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 5,433 yards, 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while also running for 1,075 yards and 23 more scores. The best stretch of that run came during the two seasons with Chesney calling the shots.
James Madison’s offense under Chesney was built on balance. In 2024, the Dukes averaged 216.1 passing yards per game and 191.5 rushing yards per game. In 2025, they stayed productive through the air at 211.1 passing yards per game while jumping to 241.5 yards on the ground, a season that ended with a College Football Playoff berth.
Sluka was another example of the same formula working. In four seasons under Chesney at Holy Cross, he completed 58.5 percent of his throws for 5,916 yards, 59 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
He also carried the ball 599 times for 3,583 yards and 38 rushing touchdowns. Sluka later followed Chesney to James Madison in 2025, where he played only sparingly as Barnett’s backup.
Iamaleava’s own numbers show why UCLA is betting on him as the centerpiece of the offense. In three college seasons, he has completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 4,858 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while adding 934 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores. In his first season at UCLA in 2025, he completed 64.4 percent of his throws for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he ran for 505 yards and five touchdowns.
UCLA also has continuity on the offensive side, which should help the transition. Most of Chesney’s new offensive staff followed him from James Madison to Westwood, including offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy.
The 2026 season looms as a big one for Iamaleava, and Chesney’s background suggests the quarterback is stepping into a system that fits him well. Chesney said on The Rich Eisen Show, "It's our time now ... to make sure we put this program back on the map. ... You have a chance to breathe some rare air based on the people that you're surrounded with at UCLA."
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Those voices will be front and center at Big Ten Media Days, where quarterback Nico Iamaleava, defensive back Cole Martin, linebacker Samuel Omosigho and head coach Bob Chesney are set to represent the Bruins. For a team trying to define itself in a new era, those are the people UCLA is choosing to put in front of the conference first, which says plenty about where the program wants the attention to go before camp really gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]