Fall camp is nearly here for UCLA football, and the biggest storyline around Bob Chesney’s first season is already clear: how quickly can he make the jump to the Big Ten?
Chesney spent the offseason remaking the Bruins roster almost from the ground up. UCLA brought in 42 new players and 20 incoming freshmen, giving the program 62 new faces as it tries to climb back into contention in its new conference home. At the same time, Chesney managed to keep several of last year’s bright spots, including Nico Iamaleava, Eugene Brooks, and Scooter Jackson.
That blend of turnover and holdovers gives UCLA a fresh start, but it also puts the spotlight squarely on Chesney’s adjustment. He just wrapped up a two-year run at James Madison, where he went 9-4 in his first season and 12-2 in his second, winning a Sun Belt Championship and earning a College Football Playoff berth.
The challenge now is obvious. The Sun Belt and the Big Ten are not the same world.
James Madison’s league had only one other team finish with 10 or more wins - Old Dominion - and the Dukes’ championship game opponent, Troy, was 8-6. The Big Ten, meanwhile, has produced three national champions in the last three years: Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana.
On top of that, Oregon, Washington, Penn State, and USC all have the kind of talent to chase the conference title and a CFP bid.
That gap showed up when James Madison reached the playoff. Against Oregon, the Dukes were down 34-6 at halftime and eventually lost 51-34.
Still, UCLA brings a different level of support and resources than Chesney had at James Madison. The Bruins have the NIL funding and alumni backing to chase top talent through both the transfer portal and high school recruiting. That’s already reflected in the rankings, with UCLA landing the 11th-ranked transfer portal class according to Rivals and the 17th-ranked 2027 high school recruiting class.
The physical demands of the Big Ten will also be front and center. It’s a league built on the run game and line play, and Chesney has already shown he values both.
He centered the offense around running back Wayne Knight, who finished seventh in college football with 1,378 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Chesney also built an offensive line that could handle both run blocking and pass protection.
There will be growing pains. That much is part of the deal in the Big Ten. But if Chesney can navigate them and keep UCLA moving forward on the field, there’s no reason to think he can’t succeed in Westwood.
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