In Reply to: The difference between Cignetti and Chesney posted by Dr.Bruin on December 05, 2025 at 11:38:02
But I haven't seen anyone actually expecting them.
The only real comparisons between the two are that both are winners who worked at multiple lower levels as head coaches, coached at JMU, and left for the Big 10.
Cignetti is a lot older and has a salty, Saban-esque demeanor with some overt cockiness thrown in. Always scowling.
Chesney comes off as a Mr. Nice Guy, everybody loves Bob, always positive. Always smiling.
Cignetti coached under Saban and you can see the influence.
Chesney doesn't come from any big coaching tree and is more self-taught. He's a lot younger than Cignetti but has actually been a head coach for longer.
It's not out of the question that he could do very well next year, and I do believe he will get a lot of good players in the portal to go along with 10+ JMU players.
I disagree with Happy and think we will have a winning season and make a bowl next year. The schedule is softer and Chesney doesn't seem like a guy who will waste a season on a tear-down/rebuild. He is not used to losing a lot of games.
Chesney has a style that will be a breath of fresh air to UCLA fans: his teams are known for pressuring the QB, being stingy on D, valuing the running game, and using QB's who can run. He is also known as a guy who is great at making halftime adjustments. He's also a salesman and a people person.
For the first time in a decade we will have a coach who can communicate clearly and actually appears to give a F.