UCLA football coach Bob Chesney announced the addition of eight staff members Wednesday, continuing to build out his first-year coaching staff with a mix of experienced assistants and emerging analysts.
The group includes three assistant position coaches, three defensive analysts and two offensive analysts, as Chesney shapes the Bruins’ program heading into the 2026 season.
“We were very intentional in assembling this first-year staff,” Chesney said in a prepared statement. “Our assistant coaches and analysts will play a critical role in our success on the field while helping build a culture rooted in competition and toughness. This group brings a strong combination of veteran football knowledge and hungry, emerging talent.”
On offense, Jon Boyer was named assistant quarterbacks coach and Mike Cordova will serve as assistant tight ends coach. Chris Monfiletto rounds out the assistant hires as special teams coordinator and specialist coach.
Boyer brings two decades of collegiate coaching experience, including a recent stint at Michigan State. He previously spent six seasons at Oregon State, where he helped guide offenses that consistently ranked among the most productive in school history.
Cordova joins UCLA after working under Chesney at both James Madison and Holy Cross. Most recently, he was part of a Dukes team that finished 12-2, ranked among the nation’s top 10 in scoring offense and made the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
Monfiletto adds more than 20 years of coaching experience across multiple levels, including recent special teams coordinator roles at Buffalo and Rice. At Buffalo, his unit ranked among the national leaders in blocked kicks.
Chesney also brought in a group of analysts with ties to his previous stops. Scott Brisson was named senior offensive analyst after working with Chesney at James Madison. Matt Biondi returns for his second season as an offensive analyst, continuing his work with UCLA’s quarterbacks.
On defense, Jacob Dobbs, Ukoh Essang and Justice Seales were hired as analysts, all with connections to Chesney’s prior programs. Dobbs, a former standout linebacker, began his coaching career last season and was part of a James Madison defense that ranked among the nation’s best.
Essang has served as a graduate assistant at multiple programs and helped develop an award-winning defensive line unit at James Madison. Seales, who also worked under Chesney at Holy Cross and James Madison, adds experience both as a player and young coach.
UCLA will play a spring game in the Rose Bowl next month. The college and the City are at odds over the university’s efforts to leave the Rose Bowl for SoFi Stadium despite an existing lease that does not end until 2044.
The two sides are scheduled to return to court later this month.
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