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The eight remaining candidates met with UCLA’s search committee on Zoom, each answering the same set of questions.

When those conversations ended, Martin Jarmond, the athletic director who was presiding over the Bruins’ quest to find their next great football coach, asked everyone on the committee to prioritize which candidates needed to be seen in person.

Everyone’s list included the same name: Bob Chesney.

The James Madison coach had already wowed the committee by then, according to multiple people with knowledge of the search who spoke with The Times on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.

Chesney’s experience building programs into winners, established track record of success at multiple levels, ability to develop talent and appreciation for everything UCLA had to offer were all selling points that made him an attractive candidate early in a search lasting 2½ months.

Along the way, Chesney and the six-person committee nurtured a relationship based on shared values and mutual respect, according to those familiar with the process, making him feel prioritized when other potential suitors emerged as part of a coaching carousel that threatened to spin out of control as new openings materialized seemingly by the day.

After Jarmond and Erin Adkins, the executive senior associate athletic director who was also part of the search committee, flew to see Chesney last month in Virginia, the coach and his suitors came to the same conclusion — they were a perfect match. Chesney agreed to become the Bruins’ new coach on Dec. 1, accepting a five-year deal.

On Tuesday morning on campus inside the Luskin Center, UCLA will introduce a coach whose hiring might be the coup of the carousel.

“We owe UCLA students, alumni, supporters and fans a football program built to succeed in the modern age of college sports, and hiring coach Chesney will do just that,” search committee member Bob Myers said. “We not only believe in him as a head coach, but also as a person. His character and values were a huge factor in our decision. Coach Chesney exudes all the qualities you want in someone charged with leading our student-athletes at UCLA.”

The buzz around Chesney only intensified Sunday when James Madison was selected for the College Football Playoff, dramatically increasing his profile. UCLA has agreed to allow Chesney to coach the 12th-seeded Dukes (12-1) through a CFP run that starts Dec. 20 when they face fifth-seeded Oregon (11-1) at Autzen Stadium, the Bruins undoubtedly getting free air time during the TNT broadcast when their new coach is mentioned. The committee was firmly behind Chesney participating in the playoff, celebrating his team’s selection.

The process leading to Chesney’s hiring started as most coaching searches do, with a firing. The dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start — giving him a 5-10 record over a little more than one season — left the Bruins with a need to recalibrate their approach in picking a successor.

Martin Jarmond

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Jarmond identified three principal guidelines for the search while meeting with UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk. There needed to be alignment among everyone involved in the process about what they wanted in their new coach, ample investment to allow that coach to compete in the Big Ten and nationally, and ultimately the identification of a strong leader who embodied the school’s core values.

Jarmond was open to any candidate, including NFL coaches and college coordinators, but eventually came to prioritize sitting head coaches who had gone through the recent transformative changes in college sports involving the transfer portal, roster management and the name, image and likeness space. There was also a strong preference for someone who had experience turning around a program, building it into a sustained winner.

A search committee that included Jarmond, Adkins, Myers, sports executive Casey Wasserman, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and former Bruins linebacker Eric Kendricks cast a wide net, starting with a list of 40 possible candidates. The committee gathered preliminary background information on those coaches and met regularly via phone calls and in person, with Peters often joining via Zoom because he was based on the East Coast.

Peters offered intelligence based on his extensive network of NFL personnel who regularly visited college campuses and observed coaches. Myers and Wasserman provided insights based on their vast experience as top-level sports executives. Kendricks, who has spent a decade playing in the NFL, queried candidates on playing style, practice habits, accountability measures and coaching philosophy.

As the committee continued to gather information and assess possible fit, it halved the list of candidates to 20, then narrowed it further to 12 and then eight, which included seven sitting college head coaches and one college coordinator. After the round of Zoom calls, the committee identified six candidates it wanted to remain in contention. Jarmond and Adkins flew to see four candidates in person, keeping two others in the running for possible future meetings.

After every interview and in-person meeting, the committee members always asked themselves the same things: Did this candidate possess the qualities they were seeking and could he fulfill their vision for winning?

Chesney, 48, kept checking every box from early in the process. On his Zoom with the committee, Chesney detailed his plan for winning with the Bruins and gave examples of experiences at other schools that revealed his appreciation for what it took to succeed at a highly rigorous academic institution. His resume was just as impressive as his answers.

Chesney’s 132-51 record included success at the Division III, Division II, Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision levels. Part of that success included dramatic turnarounds. Assumption, which had gone 3-7 under previous coach Corey Bailey in 2012, enjoyed a steady rise under Chesney, going from 6-5 in Year 1 to 7-4 in Year 2 to 11-2 in Year 3.

It was a similar story at Holy Cross, which had gone 4-7 the year before Chesney’s arrival. By Chesney’s second season, the Crusaders started a four-year run of making the FCS playoffs, reaching a quarterfinal in 2022.

While coach Curt Cignetti already had James Madison rolling, the Dukes going 11-2 and reaching the Armed Forces Bowl in 2023, Chesney has now managed in only two years to take the program somewhere his predecessor couldn’t — the CFP.

It’s that sort of sustained success that left UCLA’s search committee with no qualms about Chesney not having won at the Power Four level. Given Chesney’s track record, the committee believed that all he needed to win big at college football’s highest level was an opportunity.

UCLA plans to support its new coach with enhanced resources, making a significant commitment to grow its assistant coach salary pool alongside additional investment in front-office, recruiting and strength and conditioning personnel as well as a restructured NIL operation.

Jarmond and Adkins flew to Virginia on Sunday so that they could accompany Chesney on his flight to Southern California on Monday ahead of his introduction a day later. Chesney will return to James Madison on Wednesday, continuing preparations to take his team somewhere the Bruins hope he can lead them.

Feeling like winners already, the Bruins are about to unveil the coach who seems to have all the answers.

A brand-new NIL

Chesney is going to have some new resources at his disposal.

As part of an aggressive restructuring, UCLA has transitioned its name, image and likeness efforts for football to the same third-party media and branding agency that handles the school’s other teams.

Champion of Westwood will assist Chesney in an effort to elevate his team’s NIL endeavors in the same way it has for men’s basketball — through its Men of Westwood arm — as well as women’s basketball, softball and other teams on campus.

Working with NIL agency Article 41, which has staff on campus to help athletes build their brands through content creation and social media strategies, Champion of Westwood is striving to create new opportunities for football players as part of an all-inclusive approach.

“Everyone is committed to being very symbiotic on this, which I think will lead to success,” said Ken Graiwer, the UCLA alumnus who runs Champion of Westwood. “Supporting NIL is supporting the program.”

As part of a new subscriber model in which payments can be made on a one-time or recurring basis, Champion of Westwood is offering benefits such as exclusive merchandise and player video updates directly from the locker room after a game.

Among its corporate sponsors, Champion of Westwood has partnered with Paige, the same apparel company that outfitted Dodgers stars Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

“They were looking for the next generation of top athletes,” Graiwer said of Paige identifying UCLA as a client. “These are the great kinds of things that we’re doing.”

Champion of Westwood has also assembled a new advisory board that includes former UCLA quarterback Cory Paus, mega donor Michael Price and other heavyweights in the financial and entertainment sectors who can help facilitate introductions between players and individuals or companies interested in engaging them for NIL deals.

Olympic sport of the week: Men’s water polo

The UCLA men’s water polo team after winning the national championship.

(UCLA Athletics)

It was the sort of ending the cross-town rivalry deserved.

In another back-and-forth battle, Frederico Jucá Carsalade made sure the UCLA men’s water polo team came out on top with a goal as time expired Sunday at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, lifting the Bruins to an 11-10 victory over USC in the national championship game.

USC’s Jack Martin had tied the score with 2:03 left before Carsalade’s goal gave UCLA its 125th NCAA title in school history and its second consecutive championship in men’s water polo. Carsalade finished with two goals and Ryder Dodd scored three, including back-to-back goals that pushed the Bruins into a 10-9 lead before the Trojans rallied.

It was payback after USC had won two of the three previous meetings between the teams this season. The victory gave UCLA coach Adam Wright his 10th NCAA title with the Bruins — six as head coach of the men’s water polo team, two as a player for the Bruins, one as head coach of the women’s water polo team and another as an assistant coach with the women’s team.

Opinion time

What is your level of happiness with the Bob Chesney hire?

Ecstatic, couldn’t be happier

Guardedly optimistic

In wait-and-see mode

This is the best they could do?

Click here to vote in our survey.

Poll results

We asked, “How optimistic are you for UCLA football in 2026?”

After 612 votes, the results:

They will qualify for a lower-tier bowl game, 47.1%
They will show some fight, but struggle to a losing record, 23.5%
It’s going to be another long season, 14.6%
They will make a quality bowl game, 10.7%
The Bruins will be in College Football Playoff contention, 4.1%

In case you missed it

Lauren Betts helps No. 3 UCLA pummel Oregon in Big Ten opener

Here are 15 reasons why UCLA should not abandon the Rose Bowl

Eric Dailey Jr. goes from zero to hero, powering UCLA to victory over Oregon

UCLA got its new football coach in Bob Chesney, but who will be coming with him?

‘That’s Bernie Madoff level’: UCLA’s Mick Cronin says agent greed drives player movement

Kroenke Sports and SoFi Stadium are new defendants in Rose Bowl lawsuit against UCLA

UCLA and USC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in and who’s out?

Mixed results for UCLA on early signing day

How UCLA football salvaged its recruiting class, giving Bob Chesney an early boost

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Manning’s name, image and likeness (NIL) valuation has risen to $5.3 million as of Monday, December 8, almost $2 million higher than it was last month. In mid-November, Manning lost his title as the highest paid college athlete, but he now finds himself back on top thanks to a upset victory by the Longhorns to cap off the regular season.

Manning currently leads all athlete on On3’s NIL valuations tracker, followed by BYU basketball player AJ Dybantsa at No. 2 with a $4.3 million value and Ohio State football player Jeremiah State at No. 3 with a value of $4.2 million.

Manning, who is the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, saw his NIL value peak at $6.8 million in July, per On3’s past NIL data. However, his value began to slowly take a dip throughout the season after Texas lost to Ohio State, Florida and Georgia. After Texas’ loss to Georgia, Manning’s NIL valuation fell to nearly half of what is was in the preseason, dropping to $3.6 million on November 17. 

Texas finished at No. 13 in the final CFP rankings with a 9-3 record, not good enough to earn an at-large bid in the CFP. This marks the first time in three years that Texas will not appear in the playoffs, but Longhorn fans will still get to see their team take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on December 31. 

The decision by Notre Dame to not play in a bowl game could have sweeping consequences not only for the playoff system, but also regarding the future of the national college football bowl system itself.

That is according to a bowl executive who believes the move could have historic implications for the entire postseason format.

The end of college football bowl season?

After being snubbed from playoff consideration on selection day, Notre Dame stunned the college football world by declining to take part in any postseason competition, and a person involved in the bowl system has suggested that the move could spell its end.

“The bowl system we know now is officially dead,” a college football bowl executive said, via On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy.

They added: “RIP. It was a nice run while it lasted.”

Playoff or bust?

After news of Notre Dame’s decision went public, a growing consensus has emerged among college football analysts that a precedent has already been established.

By having such a well-known and highly-ranked team that was kept out of the playoff elect to not play in any bowl game, a message of sorts has been communicated to decision makers that the big-time schools are moving towards a playoff-or-bust mentality.

Over time, that could prove to be a mortal blow against a bowl system that was already struggling to stay as relevant as in years past since the emergence of the playoff.

Why Notre Dame did it

Notre Dame looked poised to take the final place in the College Football Playoff after being ranked ahead of Miami in the selection committee’s previous rankings. 

That was, until the selectors suddenly swapped them on the last day to put the Hurricanes in and the Irish out.

While most observers agree Miami likely deserved the spot given its head-to-head victory over Notre Dame, the timing of the committee’s decision also drew criticism.

And positively enraged everyone at Notre Dame, enough to withdraw their name from any bowl consideration. Why play in a rinky-dink bowl game when you could have had a playoff spot?

Notre Dame isn’t alone

While it may be the most high-profile program to back out of the bowl season, Notre Dame is not the only one to make that decision.

Kansas State and Iowa State were the two other bowl-eligible teams that announced they will not play in the postseason after the first school’s head coach retired and the latter’s, Matt Campbell, left the program to become the head man at Penn State.

Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Baylor, Kansas, Rutgers, and Temple were the 5-7 schools that also turned down a bowl appearance that was offered to them, according to McMurphy.

Those schools all have very different reasons, but the relatively easy decision they made to not take part in bowl season could itself be enough to send a message to the powers that be that the system itself may not be as important as it once was.

ESPN being the main power in question, given it broadcasts so many of the bowl games and owns more than a dozen of them.

The end of another tradition?

The network could eventually decide that bowl season is an acceptable sacrifice in order to put all of its attention on broadcasting the College Football Playoff.

Which could, in turn, fuel more expansion of the playoff field to ensure as many high-profile schools can take part as possible.

Who knows what the timeline would be, but if the process of eliminating bowl games will turn college football’s operators a profit in place of tradition, you can be sure that’s the course they’ll take.

Read more from College Football HQ

In the aftermath of the College Football Playoff bracket reveal, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has gone after the ACC. He says the ACC has done “permanent damage” to their relationship in an attempt to get Miami into the 12-team field. Notre Dame plays five ACC teams a season in football, while being a member of the conference in other sports.

These comments from Bevacqua came on Monday, only for ACC commissioner Jim Phillips to respond. Phillips released a statement on the matter to On3’s Brett McMurphy.

“The University of Notre Dame is an incredibly valued member of the ACC and there is tremendous respect and appreciation for the entire institution,” Phillips said. “With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that leading up to the College Football Playoff Committee selections on Sunday.

“At no time was it suggested by the ACC that Notre Dame was not a worthy candidate for inclusion in the field. We are thrilled for the University of Miami while also understanding and appreciating the significant disappointment of the Notre Dame players, coaches and program.”

Miami will travel to Kyle Field on Dec. 20, facing Texas A&M in the first round. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET and 11 a.m. local time. Notre Dame’s season is done, declining an opportunity to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU.

Pete Bevacqua expresses ‘permanent damage’ done by ACC

Bevacqua made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, discussing Notre Dame getting snubbed from the College Football Playoff. The issue for him is not with Miami, the team seemingly replacing the Irish. Instead, Bevacqua believes the ACC attempting to knock down Notre Dame while promoting Miami was a bad look.

“I have tremendous respect for Miami, great team, great school,” Bevacqua said. “Their athletic director, Dan Radakovich, is a good friend. We were mystified by the actions of the conference, to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports. I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say that they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.”

As usual, five ACC opponents are on the 2026 schedule for Notre Dame. Of those, only one will take place outside of South Bend. North Carolina will host the Irish on Oct. 3. Four others, including Miami, will make their way to Notre Dame Stadium throughout the season.

Yes, it’s a bit unorthodox to hire your just-fired head coach as DC. But as you noted Pry had great success with Franklin as his defensive coordinator for many years. And it frees up some money to allocate elsewhere. Pry is already on our payroll, so we might as well get some value for our money. If he flames out as DC in year 1 (doubt it, given the upcoming talent upgrade), no catastrophe. Just fire him (again) and get someone else.