Earlier this week we took a look at how Washington Jedd Fisch stacks up against James Madison’s Bob Chesney for the UCLA head coaching job. Now let’s see how Chesney compares to San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis.
San Diego is .500 under Sean Lewis but trending in the right direction
Lewis has been head coaching the Aztecs since 2024 after a short, yet dramatic, stint as Colorado’s offensive coordinator under Deion Sanders. Since taking over in San Diego, Lewis has led the Aztecs to an 11-11 record but the turnaround has been more impressive than the record would indicate.
The Aztecs only MWC loss was a blowout defeat in Hawaii
San Diego State went 4-8 the year before Lewis took over and then went 3-9 in his first season. The true turnaround began this season, with Lewis currently having the Aztecs at 8-2 and 5-1 in the Mountain West Conference. The lone MWC loss was a 38-6 loss to Hawaii on the road, a notoriously challenging place to play.
Sean Lewis is still a young candidate but he has head coaching experience
Lewis’ first FBS head coaching tenure came with Kent State, coaching there from 2018-2022 where he posted a 24-31 record with two bowl game appearances. Lewis is still only 39 years old, nine years younger than Chesney and does possess more head coaching experience.
Bob Chesney has continued the success at James Madison
Chesney’s first FBS head coaching job is his current one, as he’s in his second season with James Madison after taking over for Curt Cignetti. Over those two years the Dukes have gone 18-5. In the FCS, Chesney led Holy Cross to a 44-21 record with four trips to the FCS playoffs.
Rick Neuheisel made it clear who he thinks UCLA is targeting
Last week, Rick Neuheisel made it sound as if the Bruins job was Chesney’s to turn down but Neuheisel also spoke as if Chesney was waiting to see if Penn State would offer him their head coaching position.
Whether it’s Lewis, Chesney or someone else, UCLA will be looking to make their next head coaching hire soon with just two weeks of their season remaining.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA’s head coach search: comparing Sean Lewis and Bob Chesney
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
