Nathan Applebaum - Executive Director, Player Personnel - Football Support Staff

Nathan Applebaum

Title:
Executive Director, Player Personnel
Alma Mater:
Florida, '21 / '23

Nathan Applebaum enters his first season as the executive director of player personnel for the UCLA football program in 2026.

Applebaum follows head coach Bob Chesney to Westwood after serving as the director of player personnel at James Madison for two seasons in 2024-25 where the Dukes reached the College Football Playoff and won the Sun Belt Championship in his final year. His primary duties included coordinating the daily prospective student-athlete (PSA) recruiting operation and logistical processes for the program. He also planned and executed an annual vision of the recruiting calendar, which included mail, video and graphics.

Applebaum identified, evaluated, collected and organized data on PSA’s to be distributed to Chesney and his staff. Additionally, he developed and managed the film evaluation process for high school and transfer athletes while working alongside the director of on-campus recruiting.

Prior to James Madison, Applebaum spent two seasons as the assistant director of player personnel at Fresno State in 2022-23.

Before Fresno State, he was a player personnel/recruiting assistant for the Michigan State program in 2021. While in East Lansing, Applebaum’s role was to break down film to identify quality targets and assist with recruiting visits.

Applebaum graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2021. He earned his master’s degree in sports management two years later at Florida. While in Gainesville, he held multiple positions within the Gators’ football program as a recruiting intern and video operations assistant.

Applebaum’s Professional Experience
2018-20 – Player Personnel/Recruiting Intern and Video Operations Assistant, Florida
2021 – Player Personnel/Recruiting Assistant, Michigan State
2022, 2023 – Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Fresno State
2024, 2025 – Director of Player Personnel, James Madison
2026 – Executive Director of Player Personnel, UCLA