There are only a few ‘obtainable’ coaches I would hire over this guy….IF Baker decides to fire Brown I have no doubt Chesney will get a strong look and by the time it’s all said and done I would not be surprised if we land on Bob Chesney.
A few weeks ago I alluded to some some really interesting candidates that may need another year or so before a P4 AD would feel comfortable hiring them … Bob Chesney was one of those coaches and in year one at JMU, they control their own destiny to the conference championship game if they win against app state and marshall.
Simply put Chesney has won at every school he has coached and not just won but won at some places that haven’t had a history of winning. (I added some history down below I pulled from the web) I am not going to really get into his offensive/defensive style, although I do think it would be more ground based on offense. He isn’t a coach that is going to bring gimmicks and I don’t think he is necessarily married to a specific scheme. His identity as a coach is being a superior motivator that players want to play for. “Extremely knowledgeable , intricate preparation and collaboration with his assistants, meticulous analysis, intense practices and by maximizing talent” - John Harbaugh (Chesney is one he tapped to work with via his coaching academy) It isn’t just BS coach talk though, Chesney has a history of developing talent whether it be Walter Payton award candidates at FCS level or putting guys in the pros from D2 and FCS. Even at JMU he convinced an old OL coach to leave an assistant position with the New York Giants to coach with him. Some may know the name Matt Sluka (the kid that stopped playing QB for UNLV because of shady NIL) He would probably follow Chesney if he took a P4 job btw.
I can tell you with certainty, Chesney is getting hyped by TurnkeyZRG, it may be too early this year for a P4 AD to pull the trigger but another successful season at JMU and who knows we may have more competition. Remember Baker has a really good relationship with Turnkey, he doesn’t HAVE to have an opening for the machine to be working behind the scenes. He can go to his contact and have conversations about candidates with absolute trust because she knows the job is going to open at some point. I’m sure he is having those conversations with her. Second hand info here, he was rumored to be in on the Cuse job last year but they seem to have made a great hire with Fran Brown. Some may point to him just taking over a winning Cig coached JMU team, but remember Cig poached a ton from JMU. Cig had a pass heavy offense that was turned into a rushing offense by Chesney.
This may come off corny, but he is also a major culture fit with WVU. From being born in a PA coal mining town, while coaching D3 for 5k a year he would often drive back home and work for the coal companies on the weekend.
Here is some history on Chesney:
D3 Salve Regina (Rhode Island) squad that had posted 8 straight losing seasons prior to his arrival. In his very first year there, the Seahawks posted their first winning record since 2002, going 6-4. In Year 2 the Eagles jumped to 8-3, winning the ECAC Northwest Bowl. Then in 2012, Chesney's Seahawks won their division before dropping the conference title game to post a final record of 9-2.
D2 Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Like Salve, Assumption was terrible before his arrival, posting only 2 winning seasons in the previous 17 years. But in Year 1 the Greyhounds managed a 6-5 record, and improved to 7-4 in Year 2. 2015 is when Assumption broke out. They went 11-2, winning their conference, winning a playoff game and finishing the year ranked #17 in the nation. The Greyhounds were back in the playoffs in Year 4, losing in the first round after another conference title, and finishing #25. 2017 was the best year in school history, as the Greyhounds made the D2 Quarterfinals, posting a record of 11-2 (And to be fair, they rested their starts in the season finale) and finishing ranked #9 in the country.
FCS Holy Cross, a team that hadn't won a conference title since 2009. In Year 1 the team went 5-6, but did manage a 4-2 conference record. The team took a big leap forward in Year 2, going 5-1 in the Patriot League en route to the team's first conference title in a decade and an FCS playoff birth, where they would lose in the first round, bringing their final record to 7-6. The team went 3-0 in a Covid-shortened 2020 season, winning another conference title and losing in the first round of the playoffs. They finished the year ranked #24 in the nation. In 2021 Chesney led Holy Cross to their first ever FCS playoff win, going 6-0 in conference play en route to a 10-3 record and #24 national ranking. In 2022 and 2023 he again won conference championship and playoff appearances.
A few weeks ago I alluded to some some really interesting candidates that may need another year or so before a P4 AD would feel comfortable hiring them … Bob Chesney was one of those coaches and in year one at JMU, they control their own destiny to the conference championship game if they win against app state and marshall.
Simply put Chesney has won at every school he has coached and not just won but won at some places that haven’t had a history of winning. (I added some history down below I pulled from the web) I am not going to really get into his offensive/defensive style, although I do think it would be more ground based on offense. He isn’t a coach that is going to bring gimmicks and I don’t think he is necessarily married to a specific scheme. His identity as a coach is being a superior motivator that players want to play for. “Extremely knowledgeable , intricate preparation and collaboration with his assistants, meticulous analysis, intense practices and by maximizing talent” - John Harbaugh (Chesney is one he tapped to work with via his coaching academy) It isn’t just BS coach talk though, Chesney has a history of developing talent whether it be Walter Payton award candidates at FCS level or putting guys in the pros from D2 and FCS. Even at JMU he convinced an old OL coach to leave an assistant position with the New York Giants to coach with him. Some may know the name Matt Sluka (the kid that stopped playing QB for UNLV because of shady NIL) He would probably follow Chesney if he took a P4 job btw.
I can tell you with certainty, Chesney is getting hyped by TurnkeyZRG, it may be too early this year for a P4 AD to pull the trigger but another successful season at JMU and who knows we may have more competition. Remember Baker has a really good relationship with Turnkey, he doesn’t HAVE to have an opening for the machine to be working behind the scenes. He can go to his contact and have conversations about candidates with absolute trust because she knows the job is going to open at some point. I’m sure he is having those conversations with her. Second hand info here, he was rumored to be in on the Cuse job last year but they seem to have made a great hire with Fran Brown. Some may point to him just taking over a winning Cig coached JMU team, but remember Cig poached a ton from JMU. Cig had a pass heavy offense that was turned into a rushing offense by Chesney.
This may come off corny, but he is also a major culture fit with WVU. From being born in a PA coal mining town, while coaching D3 for 5k a year he would often drive back home and work for the coal companies on the weekend.
Here is some history on Chesney:
D3 Salve Regina (Rhode Island) squad that had posted 8 straight losing seasons prior to his arrival. In his very first year there, the Seahawks posted their first winning record since 2002, going 6-4. In Year 2 the Eagles jumped to 8-3, winning the ECAC Northwest Bowl. Then in 2012, Chesney's Seahawks won their division before dropping the conference title game to post a final record of 9-2.
D2 Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Like Salve, Assumption was terrible before his arrival, posting only 2 winning seasons in the previous 17 years. But in Year 1 the Greyhounds managed a 6-5 record, and improved to 7-4 in Year 2. 2015 is when Assumption broke out. They went 11-2, winning their conference, winning a playoff game and finishing the year ranked #17 in the nation. The Greyhounds were back in the playoffs in Year 4, losing in the first round after another conference title, and finishing #25. 2017 was the best year in school history, as the Greyhounds made the D2 Quarterfinals, posting a record of 11-2 (And to be fair, they rested their starts in the season finale) and finishing ranked #9 in the country.
FCS Holy Cross, a team that hadn't won a conference title since 2009. In Year 1 the team went 5-6, but did manage a 4-2 conference record. The team took a big leap forward in Year 2, going 5-1 in the Patriot League en route to the team's first conference title in a decade and an FCS playoff birth, where they would lose in the first round, bringing their final record to 7-6. The team went 3-0 in a Covid-shortened 2020 season, winning another conference title and losing in the first round of the playoffs. They finished the year ranked #24 in the nation. In 2021 Chesney led Holy Cross to their first ever FCS playoff win, going 6-0 in conference play en route to a 10-3 record and #24 national ranking. In 2022 and 2023 he again won conference championship and playoff appearances.
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