James Madison’s current head football coach, Bob Chesney, is expected to leave JMU to become the new head coach at UCLA, with reports saying he’ll sign a five‑year deal there after the Sun Belt title game.

Quick Scoop: Where the JMU coach is going

  • Multiple national reports say Bob Chesney has emerged as UCLA’s top target and is “set to sign” a five‑year contract to take over the Bruins’ football program.
  • The agreement is reportedly structured so that Chesney will still coach JMU in the Sun Belt championship game, and potentially in the College Football Playoff if the Dukes qualify as one of the top conference champions.
  • Chesney has quickly risen in the coaching ranks after taking over JMU and leading the Dukes to strong records and national relevance, making him an attractive hire for a Power Four job like UCLA.

In forum and fan chatter, this move is framed as the classic “successful G5/FCS-transition coach jumps to a big-name program” storyline, with JMU fans both proud of the trajectory and frustrated by the timing during a title and CFP push.

Why UCLA?

  • UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster after a poor start, creating an opening at a flagship West Coast program looking for a culture reset and on‑field turnaround.
  • Chesney’s record of consistent winning, program-building at multiple levels, and recent success at JMU fits the profile of coaches who parlay mid‑major success into major conference jobs.

TL;DR : The answer to “where is the JMU coach going” is UCLA, where Bob Chesney is expected to take over as head coach on a five‑year deal once JMU’s current championship run wraps up.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.