Bruins

UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close could not have imagined a better way for her team to wrap up nonconference play than Saturday afternoon’s 106-44 trouncing of Long Beach State at Pauley Pavilion.

Coming off Tuesday’s 115-28 triumph over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — UCLA’s largest margin of victory during the NCAA era — the Bruins picked up where they left off, leading wire-to-wire for their fifth consecutive win since suffering their lone loss to Texas on Nov. 26.

“We’re growing … we had a couple of lapses today and we’re not there yet, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Close said. “I love the selflessness of this team.”

Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez led the way with 17 points and made five of six three-point shots. Angela Dugalic added 13 points while Gianna Kneepkens had 10 points and 10 rebounds. All 11 Bruins who played scored at least one basket.

UCLA forward Sienna Betts, top, and Long Beach State forward Kennan Ka dive for the ball during the Bruins’ win Saturday.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

Playing their last game in Westwood until Jan. 3, when they will host crosstown rival USC, the Bruins (11-1 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten) looked every bit like the No. 4 team in the country, improving to 6-0 at home. They are ranked fourth in both the Associated Press and coaches polls behind Connecticut, Texas and South Carolina.

“I’m really proud of our nonconference schedule. Not many local teams are willing to play us, so I want to compliment Long Beach State,” Close said. “Our starting guards [Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice] combined for 17 assists and one turnover. We have depth and balance and that’s a great luxury to have.”

Jaquez scored nine of the Bruins’ first 12 points. She opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key and added triples on back-to-back possessions to increase the margin to eight points. Her fourth three-pointer, from the right corner, extended the lead to 21-5.

Sienna Betts’ jumper in the lane put UCLA up by 19 at the end of the first quarter. The sophomore finished with 14 points and senior Lauren Betts added 17. The sisters’ parents, Michelle and Andy, played volleyball and basketball, respectively, for Long Beach State. Sienna wears her mom’s No. 16 while Lauren dons her dad’s No. 51.

Rice’s steal and layup made it 46-18 with 3:28 left in the first half and Leger-Walker’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 34-point advantage at halftime. Rice had a complete game, contributing 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block.

The result continued the Bruins’ recent dominance against the Beach. UCLA has won six straight head-to-head meetings, including a 51-point blowout in the schools’ previous matchup last December, when Close became the all-time winningest coach in program history by earning her 297th victory to surpass Billie Moore (296-181). Long Beach State has not beaten the Bruins since 1987 under Joan Bonvicini, who posted a 16-1 record versus UCLA in her 12 seasons at the Beach from 1979 to 1991.

The Bruins’ primary focus on defense was slowing down sophomore guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown, who entered Saturday averaging 17.2 points per game. She scored 10 of the Beach’s 11 points in the first quarter but was held scoreless the rest of the way. She has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games. Guard Christy Reynoso added six points for Beach (0-10 overall, 0-2 in Big West).

The Bruins travel to Columbus on Dec. 28 to face No. 21 Ohio State (9-1).

UCLA had just put on a dazzling offensive display when a help-wanted sign went up in the postgame news conference.

The search for assistance came from a coach who knows his team can score but will need a lot better effort on the other side of the ball to get to where it wants to go this season.

“My biggest challenge with this team,” Mick Cronin said after the Bruins needed an epic scoring surge in the second half to post a relief of a 108-87 victory over Cal Poly, “is finding a guy or two or three that their mind is on defense.”

Nobody filled that role Friday night during a first half that led to scattered boos serenading the Bruins on their way to the locker room inside Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA was trailing by two points after putting in a low effort and playing just a sprinkling of defense against a mid-major team with a losing record from the Big West Conference.

The Cal Poly logo on the front of the opponents’ jerseys did not elicit the same sort of spirited effort the Bruins had given against more brand-name foes, continuing a troubling trend going back to the season opener.

“I definitely think that’s fair to say,” UCLA guard Skyy Clark said after notching a season-high 30 points while making six of 10 three-pointers and becoming the first Bruin in school history to make at least six three-pointers in back-to-back games. “That’s just something we gotta harp on as a team.”

The Bruins could exhale after going with a smaller lineup that produced 65 points in the second half, the most in a half by UCLA since it splurged for 66 in the second half against George Mason on Dec. 22, 1994.

But plenty of worries linger, most of them on the defensive end for a team that has given up an average of 78.2 points over its last six games.

This was another case of UCLA simply outgunning an opponent, the Bruins shooting 57.4% to Cal Poly’s 51% during a game in which defense was played only in spurts. How do the Bruins explain giving up 45 points in the first half?

“We’ve got too many guys who are conscientious objectors defensively,” Cronin said. “And if I can’t get those guys to quit protesting — they don’t say anything, but until they really believe that’s the way to win … ”

UCLA (9-3) prevailed only after Cronin went with a three-guard lineup, replacing center Xavier Booker with Jamar Brown to start the second half in an effort to combat the Mustangs’ drive-and-kick offense that stationed practically everyone behind the three-point line. With a more mobile lineup, the Bruins proceeded to go on a 15-0 run to transform a two-point deficit into a 60-47 lead, removing any doubt about the game’s outcome.

Clark continued his recent scoring spree and received plenty of help from forward Tyler Bilodeau (24 points and eight rebounds) and point guard Donovan Dent (16 points, 11 assists and five steals) as the Bruins notched a second consecutive victory.

UCLA guard Donovan Dent, center, dribbles past Cal Poly guards Guzman Vasilic, left, and Kieran Elliott to score during the second half Friday night.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Cayden Ward scored 21 points for Cal Poly (5-8), which had been given a 2% chance of winning, according to the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy.

By the game’s midpoint, the possibility of a massive upset had crept uncomfortably upward for UCLA.

Giving up open shots as part of a lackluster defensive effort wasn’t nearly the worst of it for the Bruins.

Trent Perry twice fouled a three-point shooter, once prompting Cronin to yell, “Get over here!” after Perry sent Cayden Ward to the free-throw line for three shots. A new low came late in the first half when Brown fouled Hamad Mousa on a three-pointer that went in, Mousa making the free throw to complete a four-point play.

“Buddy, it’s the worst play in basketball, and I’ve gone literally years with that happening zero times,” Cronin said. “Nobody coaches that more than me. You are not allowed to foul a jump shooter if you play for me, never. Never. If you’re that close, that means the shot is contested. You could deduce that, right? So I don’t care if he makes it, he’s taking a contested shot. Jumping toward the guy, you’re going to land in his space.”

Brown was immediately replaced by Perry, whose defensive inattentiveness quickly reemerged when Ward beat him off the dribble for a one-handed dunk. Things improved considerably the rest of the way. Cronin said he continued to be pleased with Clark’s defense and was satisfied with the second-half effort of forward Eric Dailey Jr., who limited Mousa to only two of his 14 points after halftime.

Cronin suggested that he wanted this team to prioritize defense the way the Bruins did after halftime of their victory over Michigan State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA tournament, which sparked a flurry of lockdown efforts leading to five consecutive wins.

“From that point on, it took a halfcourt shot to stop us from trying to win the title,” Cronin said, alluding to Jalen Suggs’ buzzer-beater in a national semifinal. “But if that wouldn’t have changed, we weren’t going anywhere, so you just keep trying to stay relentless with it.”

How does Cronin get his team to make that change?

“You play the guys who will do what you tell them to do,” Cronin said. “If you play guys who are conning you with their effort defensively, not only are you going to lose, then the other guys will start doing it because they think you’re a fraud because you’re playing them anyway.”

Applications are being accepted. The next opportunity to fill a heightened role comes Tuesday against UC Riverside.

The crowd couldn’t believe what it had just witnessed.

Donovan Dent’s crossover move left a helpless defender watching from behind as he accelerated toward the basket, fans unleashing audible admiration even before the UCLA point guard completed the play with a driving layup.

Poor Noah Meeusen and everyone else who tried to stop Dent.

They were overmatched by the finishing ability and fearlessness of a player who had not shown much of either over the season’s first month, hardly resembling the star the Bruins thought they were getting.

On a revelation of a Wednesday night inside Pauley Pavilion, Dent finally looked like someone who could carry a team.

He did exactly that, the transfer from New Mexico helping the Bruins fend off Arizona State during a 90-77 victory that had his handprints all over it.

There were blow-by layups, floaters, a rare three-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play on a jumper he threw up while getting fouled and falling down along the baseline. Dent unveiled a full array of moves on the way to scoring 20 points while making nine of 17 shots.

Dent’s understudy also came up huge. After the Sun Devils made things uncomfortably close midway through the second half, pulling to within five points, UCLA reserve guard Trent Perry made sure they would get no closer.

Perry rose for a three-pointer and then after teammate Brandon Williams made an energizing block at the rim, triggering a fast break, Perry found Skyy Clark for a three-pointer that extended the Bruins’ advantage to double digits.

Clark finished with 18 points on the strength of six three-pointers and Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points to help UCLA (8-3) bounce back from its loss to Gonzaga by holding off an old Pac-12 rival. Guard Anthony Johnson led Arizona State (9-3) with 20 points.

Dent’s final highlight came on a pass in transition to an open Clark, who rose for a three-pointer that gave UCLA a 12-point lead. In perhaps the only blemish on his night, Dent logged just four assists to go with his four turnovers.

It was an ensemble performance for the Bruins. UCLA coach Mick Cronin inserted backup center Steven Jamerson into his lineup to start the second half and Jamerson quickly rewarded him by chasing down an offensive rebound in the corner and adding two putback dunks.

But the big story was one of redemption.

It picked up momentum late in the first half when Dent rose without hesitation for a three-pointer. It was only Dent’s second made three-pointer of the season and his first since the season opener after a string of 12 consecutive misses dropped his accuracy from beyond the arc to 7.7%.

It was a stunning dropoff for someone who had made 40.9% of his three-pointers last season at New Mexico. His second make of the season from long distance increased his accuracy to 14.3%, still unsightly but at least no longer in single digits.

What was perhaps most pleasing about Dent’s performance in the first half was his heightened confidence level. He repeatedly beat his defender for driving layups, his aggressiveness an equal asset to his speed in rolling up 13 points on six-for-eight shooting by the game’s midpoint.

With a dominant performance on both sides of the court, including 46 rebounds and 19 steals, the UCLA women’s basketball team beat Cal Poly 115-28 on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.

The UCLA (10-1) defense held the Mustangs (2-8) to three points in the second quarter and forced 31 turnovers and single digit scoring in the last three quarters. The Bruins scored 59 points off turnovers. Senior Lauren Betts earned her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Sienna Betts, the No. 2 recruit from the 2025 class, played her first minutes with the Bruins, sharing the court with her sister for the first time for UCLA. She scored her first field goal in the fourth to give the Bruins their first 100-point game since December 2024 against Long Beach State, which they will face on Sunday.

Sienna earned her first assist in the first quarter with a pass to, who else but, Lauren as she was driving to the basket. Sienna grabbed her first points in her collegiate career off the free-throw line and finished the game with five points and two assists while playing under restricted minutes after missing the first part of the season with a leg injury.

The No. 4 Bruins closed the second quarter with 27 unanswered points, punctuated by a three-pointer by Angela Dugalić at the buzzer.

The Bruins finished the game with five players scoring in double digits. By the end of the third quarter, UCLA held a 70-point lead.

It was déjà vu for the Mustangs, who lost to the Bruins, 69-37, exactly a year ago. Cal Poly was without leading scorer Vanessa McManus.

The UCLA gymnastics team offered fans a sneak peek of what can be expected during the 2026 season at its annual Meet the Bruins event Saturday.

The Bruins are coming off a runner-up finish at the NCAA championships and a sweep of the Big Ten regular season and conference titles.

Bar routines have been an area of growth for UCLA during the past season, and the team is shaping up to have better depth. The gymnasts have been pushing each other to improve, and UCLA coach Janelle McDonald is pleased with the progress.

UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles, center, fires up teammates during the Meet the Bruins exhibition on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Pauley Pavilion.

(Dylan Petrossian/UCLA Athletics)

“Really excited about where we are at on bars,” McDonald said. ”I feel like it can be a great event for us and just really working on the consistency of the details right now.”

There are skills the Bruins want to clean up and tighten before the first meet of the new season in January, including sharper execution and landings.

“There were a couple of uncharacteristic things that we don’t typically see in practice, people that are really consistent with sticking and having steps,” McDonald said after the Meet the Bruins exhibition.

The seniors say they are focused on adding routines and events, emphasizing learning, growing and pushing themselves in their final year.

“I feel like both Ciena [Alipio] and Maddie [Anyimi] have had that mentality all summer long to really be able to come into the preseason and make a statement. It was great to see them out there in different events and to see them perform so confidently,” McDonald said.

Sophomore Macy McGowan did not perform on floor due to an injury and has been working throughout the offseason, building back each week to get stronger.

Jordan Chiles showed off her Prince themed floor routine for the final time and will replace it with something new during the competition season.

“I am really excited to do this floor routine,” said Chiles, who was a finalist on “Dancing with the Stars” during the offseason. ”We’ve already started and honestly, I’m like, ‘This is not Jordan. I’ve done the cutesy, I’ve done the hip-hop, I’ve done all those things and this is more the passionate, confident last era of being a Bruin.’”

Freshman Ashlee Sullivan stepped onto the Pauley Pavillion floor for the first time and has been adjusting to the transition from elite competition to collegiate gymnastics.

“When I came here, we were already hitting the ground running,” Sullivan said. “Like everyone looked so good. The team looked competition ready. Feeding off of that, everyone … pushes me to be [the] best I can.”

Tiana Sumanasekera, Nola Matthews, Jordis Eichman, Kai Mattei, Ava Callahan and Sullivan joined the roster this season, bringing a wide variety of skills to the UCLA lineup.

The 2026 season begins Jan. 3, when the Bruins will compete against Washington, California and Oregon State.

SEATTLE — They tried a zone defense. They tried moving Tyler Bilodeau back to center. They double- and triple-teamed in the post. They showed one defense to start a possession, only to shift into another.

Nothing the UCLA Bruins did to combat their lack of rim protection worked for more than a couple of possessions at a time.

And so a coach known for defense had to watch his team get bludgeoned inside once again while giving up an unusually frightening number of easy baskets.

“We just couldn’t get the job done defensively,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said.

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau looks to shoot under pressure from Gonzaga guard Adam Miller (23) and center Graham Ike (15) Saturday in Seattle.

(Jason Redmond / Associated Press)

There doesn’t appear to be a quick defensive fix in sight for No. 25 UCLA after it suffered an 82-72 setback against No. 8 Gonzaga on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena in the West Coast Hoops Showdown, the Bruins faltering late in their final bid to secure a signature nonconference triumph.

UCLA was overmatched inside, the Bulldogs frontcourt tandem of Graham Ike (25 points) and Braden Huff (21 points) finding success at the rim far too often as a result of being able to make left-handed moves that should have come as no surprise.

“Our problem,” Cronin said, “is we can’t follow the scouting report, we don’t play smart.”

It also didn’t help that UCLA’s late-game execution was once again pitiful, point guard Donovan Dent doing too little once he reached the rim thanks to a flurry of missed shots and bad passes.

“I had a couple of silly turnovers that I just can’t have happen,” said Dent, whose 12 points and 10 assists were partially offset by his four turnovers. “Two [turnovers] for layups; we said turnovers for touchdowns are going to kill us.”

UCLA (7-3) lost despite shooting 49% and making seven of 15 three-pointers because the Bulldogs (10-1) shot 50%, took 13 more free throws and grabbed seven more rebounds. Cronin said the free-throw discrepancy came as a result of his team being out of position defensively.

Bilodeau’s 24 points were nothing more than a footnote after his teammates failed to get him the ball in enough favorable positions, particularly when he was being guarded by a smaller defender. UCLA forward Eric Dailey Jr. also developed an overreliance on jump shots while finishing with a quiet six points and five rebounds in 34 minutes.

Early in the second half, one stretch portended a different ending.

UCLA guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles in front of Gonzaga center Graham Ike, right, and guard Mario Saint-Supéry (17) Saturday in Seattle.

(Jason Redmond / Associated Press)

A faint “U-C-L-A!” chant broke out among the heavily pro-Gonzaga crowd after the Bruins went on a 9-0 run sparked by defense.

A Dent steal led to a Brandon Williams layup in transition, a Dailey steal allowed him to throw down a reverse dunk on the fast break and then a Bilodeau block resulted in a Dent layup.

The Bruins were suddenly up by a point and their defensive woes from earlier in the game were momentarily forgotten.

But soon Bilodeau picked up his third foul and departed, leading to a Gonzaga push in which the Bulldogs outscored the Bruins 10-4 to retake control. Dent said the Bulldogs’ switching into a zone for about three minutes baffled the Bruins’ offense.

Cronin also lamented that Williams — who had been playing some strong post defense off the bench — sprained his ankle and had to depart after only five minutes.

This was a game that UCLA needed to win as an NCAA tournament resume builder given a previous lack of meaningful victories and a relatively bad loss to California. The Bruins’ remaining nonconference games — against Arizona State, Cal Poly and UC Riverside — can do little to boost their prospects, meaning they will need an elite showing in Big Ten play to earn a good seeding come March.

Gonzaga center Graham Ike shoots the ball as UCLA forward Steven Jamerson II defends Saturday in Seattle.

(Jason Redmond / Associated Press)

UCLA went back to an old look in the last few possessions before halftime, putting Bilodeau at center. There seemed like little choice given starting center Xavier Booker’s inability to protect the rim and backup Steven Jamerson’s three fouls that sent him back to the bench.

Bilodeau compounded matters by committing a silly foul near midcourt with only four seconds left before halftime, sending Gonzaga’s Mario Saint-Supery to the free throw line for the points that gave the Bulldogs a 45-40 lead at the game’s midpoint.

“We showed zone, we went man, they’ve got no clue, there’s four seconds, just back up and the guy takes a desperation shot,” Cronin said of what should have transpired on the play. “What are you jumping him for? Like, it’s just basic basketball and we were struggling with it. We’ve got good kids and they’re trying, we’ve just got to play smarter.”

How does Cronin’s team go about doing that?

“Teach, watch film, keep teaching, stay relentless — we’ve got to stay relentless,” he said.

Gonzaga guard Jalen Warley, right, drives as UCLA forward Xavier Booker defends him during the first half Saturday.

(Jason Redmond / Associated Press)

Cronin said it was essential to build a culture of players knowing why they win, something that’s become far more difficult in an era of free agency with constant player movement.

“It’s hard,” Cronin said of forging that culture. “It’s a lot easier if you’ve got more money.”

The Bruins’ bad habits kept them from enjoying more success against Gonzaga after finally breaking through last year, a three-point victory at the Intuit Dome momentarily pushing aside memories of heartbreaking heaves in the NCAA tournament that were part of four consecutive victories by the Bulldogs.

Cronin said he hoped the series would get extended, though that’s probably low on his list of concerns at the moment. At the top is getting back to playing some competent defense.

SEATTLE — Strengthening its commitment to Mick Cronin, UCLA quietly awarded its men’s basketball coach a new five-year contract last summer that runs through the 2029-30 season, according to documents reviewed by The Times through a public-records request.

The contract that was signed by Cronin and athletic director Martin Jarmond in May and took effect June 1 will pay Cronin $4.5 million per season, a slight raise over the $4.1 million he was making under the previous contract that was set to expire after the 2027-28 season.

“I’m honored to be the coach at UCLA,” Cronin told The Times late Saturday night after his team’s 82-72 loss to Gonzaga at Climate Pledge Arena. “For me, I have no inklings of being anywhere else. I’ve had many offers to do so. I’m where I want to be so I’ll always say the same thing — it was surreal when I got the job and I’m just working hard to do everything we can to upgrade our program to a point to where we can try to win the title for our fans, and that’s all I really worry about. I’m at that point in my career, so if they want to extend me, I take it because I’m not looking to go anywhere.”

The contract was not announced at the time it was signed, according to an athletic department spokesperson, because of the financial climate within the university, particularly given the prospect of federal funding cuts.

Cronin’s contract was signed not long after he guided UCLA to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the Bruins lost to Tennessee. Cronin’s previous teams reached the Final Four in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2023.

Cronin, 54, has compiled a 145-67 record in seven seasons with the Bruins, his accomplishments including a Pac-12 title in 2023 that his team won by a four-game margin over second-place Arizona.

His new contract includes a buyout provision that calls for him to be paid $22.5 million if he’s terminated without cause through March 31, 2026. The buyout amount drops to $18 million if he’s terminated without cause through March 31, 2027; $13.5 million through March 31, 2028; $9 million through March 31, 2029; and $4.5 million through March 31, 2030.

The buyout includes a mitigation clause that would offset UCLA”s buyout obligations through future employment over the duration of the contract.

If Cronin were to leave for another job, he would owe UCLA $15 million through March 31, 2026, with that amount dropping to $12 million through March 31, 2027; $8 million through March 31, 2028; $6 million through March 31, 2029; and $4 million through March 31, 2030.

The bonus structure in Cronin’s contract calls for him to make $25,000 for a conference championship and $15,000 for a conference tournament championship. He’ll get an extra $45,000 if the Bruins make the NCAA tournament, $25,000 for making the second round, $40,000 for making the Sweet 16, $25,000 for making the Elite Eight, $50,000 for making the Final Four, $25,000 for making the championship game and $50,000 for winning the national title. If Cronin is selected conference coach of the year, he’ll make an additional $10,000.

Cronin could be awarded additional amounts for his team’s academic performance, along with retention bonuses of $500,000 if he’s employed through April 15, 2026; $600,000 if he’s employed through April 15, 2027; $700,000 if he’s employed through April 15, 2028; and $700,000 if he’s employed through April 15, 2029.

Troy Aikman said he’s “done with NIL” after writing a check to a UCLA football player who never thanked him and went on to leave for another school after one season.

There was a reason for that lack of gratitude, according to one person familiar with the Bruins’ football name, image and likeness operations from that time not authorized to discuss donor information publicly.

The player in question didn’t know who funded his NIL deal, only that it was coming from the team’s collective, Men of Westwood. It was standard practice for players not to know which donors or alumni contributed NIL funds that were distributed to the team.

Aikman, who did not identify the player in his remarks, did receive thanks from Men of Westwood leadership, coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond, according to the person familiar with the situation.

Aikman, the former UCLA quarterback who led the Bruins to a victory in the 1989 Cotton Bowl before going on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys, voiced his frustrations about NIL on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch.

“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”

Aikman went on to say he believed that players should be able to leave one school for another amid coaching turnover but should have to otherwise stay with the program paying them.

“There’s got to be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up,” Aikman said. “Starting with players that accept money. There’s got to be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf, to have to stick to a program.”

Unflinching in his belief that he could elevate UCLA to win at the highest level, Bob Chesney sounded a brazen, fearless tone Tuesday during his introduction as the Bruins’ football coach.

“We don’t need to be the other school in town,” Chesney said inside the Luskin Center on campus, “we need to be the school in this town and I promise you that will happen very soon.”

Chesney said the success he’s had in two seasons at James Madison, which will open the College Football Playoff against Oregon on Dec. 20, could translate to his new job after agreeing to a five-year, $33.75-million contract that will pay him an annual salary of $6.75 million.

“Those same dreams,” Chesney said of what he’s done with the Dukes, “are the exact dreams we will have here.”

Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager who served on the search committee, said UCLA had committed to providing him with resources that would rank in “the top third, maybe top quartile” of the Big Ten in a bid to give Chesney what he needed to compete with conference heavyweights.

The challenge is a big one. UCLA has not won a conference championship since 1998 and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons, including a 3-9 record under predecessor DeShaun Foster and interim coach Tim Skipper. None of that could dissuade Chesney from becoming the first sitting head coach to abandon his job to join the Bruins since Pepper Rodgers made a similar move in 1971.

“I believe in the power of UCLA,” Chesney said.

Chesney met with his new players earlier in the day, impressing them with his vision and exuberance.

“He has a lot of energy and cares about this place,” freshman linebacker Scott Taylor said, “and that’s what a lot of people want to see.”

Mixing humor with personal anecdotes in his remarks, Chesney joked that he was country singer Kenny Chesney’s first cousin and that the other Chesney would be at every game. He said his first coaching salary was $5,000. When it came to his coaching tree, Chesney said he had learned from many but wanted to embrace his own style.

“I don’t want to be anyone else,” he said. “I want to be me.”

Chesney said he also believed in accountability and would personally conduct class checks. What’s his style? Chesney said he embraced toughness and competitiveness. He also said he believed he could replicate his success at lower levels after having won at the Division III, Division II and Football Championship Subdivision levels before arriving at James Madison.

“There is zero doubt,” Chesney said, “that we can win here at UCLA.”

Check back soon for updates on this developing news story.