Everyone knows Bob Chesney.

He seemingly won the hearts of the UCLA faithful at his introductory presser Dec. 9.

Whether it’s his captivating speeches, his presence across the Westwood campus or his competition and accountability-based coaching style, fans know what they are getting from UCLA football’s newest head coach.

But do people know what to expect from the Bruins’ offensive and defensive coordinators – arguably the two most crucial factors to success outside of Chesney?

Offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy used one word to describe his phase of the game: explosive.

“I believe it’s the second stat that can define wins and losses from an offensive standpoint,” Kennedy said at Thursday’s spring practice. “We define it as 12 yards in the run game and 16 yards in the pass game. We’re still in the process in terms of where this offense needs to be. Our goal is for double-digit explosive plays a game.”

From an X’s-and-O’s standpoint, Kennedy has emphasized versatility across the offense’s skill positions.

That versatility is enabled by a mix of body types and positional archetypes.

“When you have multiple different body types of tight ends, now you’re talking about, you can do a lot more, but still have your identity within the offense,” Kennedy said. “And the same thing goes for the running back room. They’re also a part of the O-line protection. We ask them to be out in certain past concepts, depending on matchups. So the more different types of body types you have, the more you can grow and put more stress on the defense.”

Aside from physical attributes, Kennedy stressed that the intangibles of his group are arguably more important.

Chief among those traits is leadership.

The former James Madison offensive coordinator continued to praise redshirt sophomore Nico Iamaleava for his leadership of the offense and his willingness to learn – both unfamiliar concepts implemented by the new coaching staff and from mistakes made in spring practice.

Kennedy also shouted out junior Mikey Matthews – the lone starting wide receiver to return from 2025’s squad.

“When you have Mikey – who’s played at a high level, who’s been here previously, when you have someone like that, where the younger guys can lean on and then also the new guys, some of the JMU guys can blend with him – the more we can talk and be positive and have a positive attitude, and just keep getting better with people who are helping lead, it’s just going to keep helping us grow.”

Kennedy also highlighted the importance of leaders in every position group, allowing those individuals to step back and unite the group.

And top-down alignment is not just present on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler reiterated that leadership had seeped across his defensive unit, but did not single anyone out in particular.

“What’s cool about this group is, even though we haven’t been together for a while, there are a lot of kids that have played a lot of football, so there are a lot of leaders in this locker room,” Hitschler said. “I think (there is) just a little bit of jockeying for position, a little bit on the field, but we’re going to have great leadership.”

And the veteran presence sets Hitschler’s group apart.

Not only did Hitschler join a Westwood program returning three key starters in the secondary – arguably one of the lone bright spots from the 2025 roster – in redshirt sophomore safety Cole Martin, redshirt sophomore cornerback Rodrick Pleasant and junior cornerback Scooter Jackson, but Chesney and his staff brought in a plethora of experience through the portal.

“Lovett’s (cornerback Dante Lovett) come over from Tech (Virginia Tech), and he was a starter there,” Hitschler said. “Ta’Shawn James was a starter at Iowa State. Tao (cornerback Tao Johnson) was a starter at Utah. Malik Hartford’s played a lot of snaps, but he hasn’t been healthy right now. Then you add in the mix of guys that played a lot of snaps for this program last year, there’s a lot of versatility back there, and that’s a coach’s dream.”

Two additions Hitschler highlighted were former Oklahoma linebacker Sammy Omosigho – who is expected to be the starting middle linebacker for next year’s squad – and former JMU cornerback DJ Barksdale – who looks to start at slot corner for the Bruins in 2026.

While Hitschler knows Barksdale after their time together at JMU, the defensive coordinator is also familiar with Omosigho from his stint as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Alabama.

“A special pickup, and a great kid, was in an unbelievable program there with a lot of NFL backers, and made a lot of plays for them,” Hitschler said. “We played them two years ago when we were at Alabama, and he made plays in that game, so just the leadership, a knowledge of what it takes to be successful, and then a passion for the game.”

When it came to Barksdale, the defensive coordinator emphasized his man coverage ability at slot cornerback – a position he acknowledged is difficult to play man-to-man – but said Barksdale’s effort and attitude set him apart.

Hitschler also praised freshman safety Logan Hirou, who has quickly made a name for himself during spring practice with splash plays in the secondary, including an interception Thursday.

While the starters will not be concrete until an official depth chart is released – or even until game one – the tenets and principles both coaches use to operate their sides of the ball are evident.

The most imperative of which is leadership and competition – two things Chesney has failed to go a day without mentioning.