University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Football Adds Eight Members to Coaching Staff
March 18, 2026 | Football
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney announced eight additional coaching staff members on Wednesday. The group includes three assistant position coaches, three defensive analysts and two offensive analysts.
We were very intentional in assembling this first-year staff, Chesney said. 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. Together, they will elevate every aspect of our program.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jon Boyer has been named assistant quarterbacks coach and Mike Cordova has been named assistant tight ends coach. Rounding out the assistant coaches is Chris Monfiletto who will be the Bruins' assistant special teams coordinator/specialist coach.
Following Chesney from James Madison is senior offensive analyst is Scott Brisson. Matt Biondi returns to Westwood for his second consecutive season as an offensive analyst in 2026, working with quarterbacks.
All three defensive analysts have JMU ties: Jacob Dobbs (linebackers), Ukoh Essang (defensive line) and Justice Seales (safeties).
Jon Boyer โ Assistant Quarterbacks Coach
Boyer arrives in Westwood with 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently serving as the quarterback coach at Michigan State last season. Prior to his time in East Lansing, Mich., Boyer spent six years at Oregon State as an offensive quality control coach (2019-23) and tight ends coach (2024).
The Beavers posted several winning seasons during Boyer's tenure. In 2023, Oregon State averaged 31.8 points per game and 409.2 yards of total offense. The year prior, Boyer helped the offensive unit average 32.2 points per game en route to a 10-3 record and Las Vegas Bowl victory. During the 2021 season, Oregon State set a single-season record averaging 6.4 yards per play. That team totaled 5,581 yards of offense, the fourth-highest mark in school history in a 13-game season.
Mike Cordova โ Assistant Tight Ends Coach
Cordova has spent each of the last five seasons on Chesney's staffs at James Madison (2024-25) and Holy Cross (2021-23).
Most recently, Cordova served as an offensive analyst for a 12-2 Dukes squad that was tops in the Sun Belt Conference and ninth nationally in scoring at 31.7 points per game. James Madison ranked 15th in the nation with 456.2 yards per game and finished the year with the program's first College Football Playoff appearance.
Chris Monfiletto โ Assistant Special Teams Coordinator/Specialist Coach
Monfiletto is a coaching veteran of over 20 years across the high school, Division III and Division I levels. The Newark, New Jersey, native has spent three of the last five seasons occupying FBS-level special teams coordinator roles at Buffalo (2025) and Rice (2021-22).
Under Monfiletto's direction, Buffalo tied for third nationally with four blocked kicks and ranked third in the Mid-American Conference in net punting.
Monfiletto gained seven years of head coaching experience at NCAA Division III Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from 2012-17. In his second game leading the program, Monfiletto guided Kenyon to its first victory in three seasons and later won three consecutive games to contend for the North Coast Athletic Conference title. The Lords finished the 2012 season with six wins, their first winning campaign since 2005.
Scott Brisson โ Senior Offensive Analyst
Brisson possesses 16 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division III, Division II and Division I levels. He spent the 2025 season on Chesney's staff at James Madison as an offensive analyst where he helped the Dukes to a banner campaign.
Brisson previously coached at Lehigh for nine seasons from 2014-22, including his final six as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His tenure in the Patriot League overlapped with Chesney's time as head coach at Holy Cross from 2018โ23.
Lehigh led the conference in pass efficiency in 2019 and passing yards in 2018. The Mountain Hawks' 2017 Patriot League championship offense ranked sixth nationally in total offense, seventh in passing yards and ninth in scoring.
Brisson also helped develop 2017 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Dom Bragalone and 2022 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Geoffrey Jamiel.
Matt Biondi โ Offensive Analyst, Quarterbacks
Biondi worked with UCLA's quarterbacks during his first season as an offensive analyst in 2025. Leading that group was Nico Iamaleava, who led UCLA in rushing yards and carries while completing 208-of-303 passes for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Before joining UCLA, Biondi spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at James Madison under head coach Curt Cignetti, working with the Dukes' quarterbacks during the program's transition to the FBS level.
Jacob Dobbs โ Defensive Analyst, Linebackers
Dobbs completed a prolific six-year playing career under Chesney at Holy Cross and James Madison, finishing with more than 500 career tackles. He recorded 432 tackles at Holy Cross from 2019-23 and added 74 during his final season with the Dukes in 2024.
The standout linebacker was a William V. Campbell Trophy finalist and a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American.
Dobbs began his coaching career in 2025 as a quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach at James Madison. That season, the Dukes ranked fifth nationally in total defense (266.6 yards allowed per game) and 13th in scoring defense (18.4 points allowed per game). JMU held opponents under 200 yards of total offense in five games.
Ukoh Essang โ Defensive Analyst, Defensive Line
Essang has spent the past five seasons as a graduate assistant at James Madison (2024-25), Buffalo (2023) and Pittsburg State (2021-22).
In 2025, Dukes defensive linemen Immanuel Bush and Sahir West earned All-Sun Belt honors. West ranked second among freshmen nationally with 7.0 sacks and seventh in the Sun Belt with 14 tackles for loss, earning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors.
During Essang's first season at James Madison in 2024, the Dukes led the nation in turnover margin (1.54) and ranked third in takeaways (29), fifth in defensive touchdowns (four) and sixth in sacks per game (3.15). Defensive end Eric O'Neill highlighted the group by earning All-America honors with 18.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
Justice Seales โ Defensive Analyst, Safeties
Seales has worked under Chesney for three seasons, including two as a graduate assistant at James Madison (2024โ25) and one as a quality control coach at Holy Cross (2022).
Seales played collegiately at Marist (2016-19) and Sacred Heart (2020-21), appearing in 48 career games. He helped Sacred Heart capture consecutive Northeast Conference titles in 2020 and 2021 and earned Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League honors at Marist in 2018.
To read about each staff member, click HERE.
