Asking Bob Chesney to become Curt Cignetti is one way to set yourself up to be disappointed. Despite taking a similar path to the Big Ten, what Cignetti accomplished was nothing short of amazing, as he led Indiana to their first-ever national title.
Chesney followed Cignetti as head coach at James Madison, and even found more success at the school, leading the Dukes to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2025. Even while accomplishing that at JMU, finding the same success with the UCLA Bruins will be a major challenge for Chesney.
One James Madison transfer who played for both Cignetti and Chesney at JMU, defensive lineman Darold DeNgohe compared the two head coaches to Ben Bolch of the California Post.
“They’re really just
great winners, you know?” DeNgohe said to the California Post. “It’s one of those things where they go about it in different ways, but the end result is the same — they win, they know how to get the best out of you, they know how to go about it. I think it was just something they were born with, you know, just to be winners.”
UCLA can only hope that Chesney’s winning ways continue in Southern California. With JMU, Chesney posted a 21-6 record in two years with James Madison while the Bruins have won 22 games over their past five seasons combined.
DeNgohe says there are more similarities between his last two head coaches than just winning.
“They just control the room and take control,” DeNgohe said. “and that’s just part of that winner mindset — they can take over a room and lead an army into war and be very successful at it.”
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: One James Madison transfer compares Bob Chesney to Curt Cignetti
