After hiring James Madison’s head coach, Bob Chesney, with a hefty $33.75 million investment, UCLA needed an NIL push more than ever. And cut to next: on December 10, Warriors point guard Steph Curry’s longtime friend and former Warriors GM has unexpectedly stepped into the college football world with his hefty NIL promise to help Chesney.

“I think there has to be a level of commitment,” President of Harris Blitzer Sports Bob Myers said. “And Bob asked the right question: what is our level of commitment? And we’re in this conference. What resources can I expect to have to compete in this conference? And we said, We may not be at the very top of resources.

There are some very well-funded schools at the top, but you’ll be in the top third to compete, maybe the top quartile to compete with these schools financially, as far as what we can provide, what revenue we can provide for the school, and NIL support—all those things on that support.”

Myers’ financial commitment didn’t come out of the blue for UCLA. As he played basketball for the Bruins on the 1995 national championship team, he subsequently spent 14 years as the general manager of the Golden State Warriors and joined the UC Board of Regents.

Last year, he expressed concerns regarding UCLA’s financial condition, as the institution has faced deficits for six consecutive years, with a total debt of approximately $219.5 million. And they already lost $51.8 million in the 2024 fiscal year alone.

Bob Chesney holds a 21-5 record with James Madison, and he’s leading them to the playoffs before taking complete control of UCLA. However, the Big Ten is a significant step up, as he has never coached at a Power Five school before. That’s precisely why he’s rooting for better financial support.

Teams like USC football are valued at $1.4 billion, which shows the kind of money the Bruins need to match the pace. The school is investing significant time in basketball, but not the same level of effort in football.

During Chip Kelly’s tenure, he didn’t win games, but he could attract big donors to invest in his program. Despite landing Nico Iamaleava with DeShaun Foster, they still ranked at the bottom of the Big Ten in football NIL spending. Things turned weird when UCLA asked donors to give money for Rose Bowls instead of investing directly in the program. So, you know why Chesney is demanding stability.

It explains why he is now ready to back Bob Chesney. Additionally, their athletics department is already taking significant steps to advance their NIL opportunities by partnering with the NIL agency Article 41.

This partnership enables student-athletes to build strong personal brands on social media and capitalize on commercial NIL opportunities. This Article 41 brings a unique strategy to focus on social media development and help players secure deals with brands.

Even UCLA backup Chase Griffin started a new NIL venture, 1919 Players Fund, last year to support his football teammates through it. This was aimed at reducing the gap between donations and the actual funds received by the players. Similar to the 2022-23 period, UCLA received $692 million in donations, but only $16 million was actually allocated to them.

Now, with Myers’ investment, things are expected to improve significantly.

With that, teams are also focusing on recruitment.

Bob Chesney’s team’s significant steps towards recruiting success

UCLA football went through chaos after DeShaun Foster was fired, as they lost 13 recruits immediately. With players’ dissatisfaction and parents becoming upset, the entire program was thrown into sudden uncertainty. However, for over two months, the staff has been planning accordingly, taking one step at a time. As general manager, Khary Darlington explains their approach.

“I’m looking at the implementation column,” Darlington said, “and it’s nothing but red check marks. That means we completed that task.”

The result?

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Their final 2026 class comprises 18 players, including three four-star recruits, and holds a ranking of No. 43 by 247 Sports, which places them ahead of strong programs like Vanderbilt and Utah.

Darlington ensured the new class could accommodate any scheme so that things would go smoothly under Bob Chesney.

Now, with the NIL push and recruiting backing, let’s wait and see how next season turns out under Chesney.