UCLA coach Bob Chesneys joy, passion enticed players from former school

Landon Ellis said it wasn’t much of a decision.After spending one season playing for Bob Chesney at James Madison, the wide receiver eagerly followed his coach to UCLA.“Why would I want to go anywhere else,” Ellis said after practice Thursday, “when I know what this staff brings to me and how much joy it brings me to play for Coach Chesney and his people?”Ellis became one of 10 players who made the cross-country journey alongside Chesney, offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler and a handful of others.Playing for this staff, Ellis said, has been his most enjoyable experience in the sport since he first picked up a football at age 5.He likes how the coaches make everything a competition and infuse players with boundless energy.Of course, it didn’t hurt that James Madison qualified for the College Football Playoff last season for the first time in school history, giving players a taste of success at the highest level.Ellis said he was also drawn by quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who told the transfer recruit how much he wanted to win during his visit.

Iamaleava now occupies the locker next to Ellis’ inside the team’s practice facility.“That’s another reason why I felt really comfortable coming over here,” said Ellis, who made 36 catches for 624 yards and five touchdowns last season, “because I felt that we had that leader already here and we’re going to be able to get this program to the next level.”While the culture shift from northern Virginia can be a bit jarring — there’s no Buc-ee’s or Bojangles here — the LA lifestyle has its own benefits.“There’s a lot to go sightsee,” Ellis said.“You see a lot of famous people, a lot of big names out here, so it took us a little while — I mean, I still get starstruck sometimes going places and seeing people, but it’s really cool.

It’s a polar-opposite shift, but I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”Here are five observations from the Bruins’ ...