Staff Directory
Dean Kennedy
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Offensive Coordinator
- Alma Mater:
- Rochester, '14
- Year at UCLA:
- 1st in 2026
Dean Kennedy begins his first season as offensive coordinator for the UCLA football program in 2026. He arrived in Westwood in December 2025 after spending the previous two seasons in the same role at James Madison University. The 2026 campaign marks Kennedyโs 12th year of coaching, including his 10th at the NCAA Division I level.
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Kennedy, alongside head coach Bob Chesney, helped James Madison reach new heights in their two years together in Harrisonburg, Va. In 2025, the Dukes recorded just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history, going 8-0, and captured the programโs first Sun Belt Championship. James Madison secured a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the first time in school history with the No. 12 seed and earned its highest AP ranking in program history at No. 19. The Dukes finished the season with a 12-2 record following their CFP First Round appearance.
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Under the direction of Kennedy, James Madisonโs 2025 offense was tops in the Sun Belt and ranked 11th in the FBS in scoring with 37.1 points per game in addition to ranking 17th nationally in total yardage with 452.6 yards per game. The Dukes scored north of 50 points five times with Kennedy calling plays this year, which was tied for second-most in a single season in school history. James Madison also ranked top-10 in the country in first downs (fifth with 316), time of possession (second) and rushing offense (sixth with 241.5).
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Kennedyโs 2025 offensive unit was highlighted by Sun Belt Player of the Year quarterback Alonza Barnett III and Paul Hornung Award Finalist running back Wayne Knight. Barnett recorded 38 touchdowns (23 passing, 15 rushing) and ranked fourth in FBS with 232 total points scored. Knight, who was tabbed as an Associated Press Second Team All-American, posted six games with 150-plus all-purpose yards and four 100-yard rushing performances. Seven of Kennedyโs offensive players received All-Sun Belt accolades, including three First Team honorees.
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In his first season in 2024, Kennedy took over a JMU offense with only three returning starters and guided the Dukes to the nationโs 26th-ranked scoring offense with 33.3 points per game. Kennedyโs group was highly efficient with 191.5 rushing yards per game and 28 passing touchdowns while allowing the third-fewest turnovers in the FBS with nine. James Madison concluded 2024 with the programโs first bowl championship victory, defeating Western Kentucky, 27-17, in the Boca Raton Bowl. Two of Kennedyโs offensive linemen, Pat McMurtrie and Cole Potts, were awarded All-Sun Belt First Team honors. Barnett earned All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention status and was selected to the midseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Davey OโBrien National Quarterback Award.
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A native of Scituate, Mass., Kennedy served on Chesneyโs staff for two seasons at Holy Cross in 2022-23, where he was quarterbacks coach for both campaigns and offensive coordinator for his second year.
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During Kennedyโs time in Worcester, he helped Holy Cross to back-to-back Patriot League championships, a berth in the 2022 NCAA FCS Playoffs and a 19-5 overall record. The Crusaders ranked fourth in the FCS with 466.6 yards per game of total offense and seventh with 36.9 points per game in Kennedyโs first year as an NCAA Division I offensive coordinator in 2023.
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Kennedy mentored two-time Walter Payton Award Finalist and 2023 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Matthew Sluka. The dual-threat quarterback accounted for 2,481 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground and 4,217 passing yards and 46 scores through the air over his two seasons under Kennedy.
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Four Holy Cross offensive players were named All-Americans in 2023. Among those were running back Jordan Fuller, who led the FCS in rushing touchdowns (18), total touchdowns (19) and scoring per game (11.4), and wide receiver Jalen Coker, who led the nation in receiving touchdowns (15). Coker was invited to the NFL Combine before signing with the Carolina Panthers, where he is in his second season.
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In Kennedyโs first year as quarterbacks coach in 2022, Holy Cross registered just its fifth-ever double-digit win total and set a single-season wins record with a 12-1 mark. An 11-0 regular season earned Holy Cross the No. 8 seed for the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Crusaders defeated New Hampshire, 35-19, in the First Round to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1983. Holy Cross finished the year with a No. 6 ranking among all FCS teams as a result of numerous marquee wins, including a hail mary victory against FBS foe Buffalo and an overtime win over nationally-ranked Fordham.
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Sluka was the engine to one of the FCSโ top offenses in 2022, ranking second in yards per completion (16.2), sixth in rushing offense (245.1 yards per game) and eighth in scoring offense (37.4 points per game). Sluka finished with 1,234 rushing yards, the most of any FCS quarterback, while passing for 2,489 yards. He passed for 26 touchdowns while rushing for 11 more.
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Prior to Holy Cross, Kennedy spent four seasons in the Southeastern Conference at Florida from 2018-21. While finishing his stint in Gainesville as assistant quarterbacks coach, Kennedy also served as an offensive quality control coach, as well as a graduate assistant. In 2020, Kennedy aided in the development of quarterback Kyle Trask, who finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Aside from coaching duties, Kennedy assisted the Gators with recruiting in Atlanta and southern Georgia.
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Before Florida, Kennedy was an offensive graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2017. He began his coaching career in 2015 on the NJCAA level at ASA New York as a quarterbacks coach. Kennedy was then elevated to offensive coordinator on the schoolโs affiliate campus in Miami, Fla. in 2016.
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16, where he was quarterbacks coach in his first year before being elevated to offensive coordinator in year two.
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Kennedy was a two-year starting quarterback and played on the menโs basketball team at the University of Rochester in Monroe County, N.Y. As a senior in 2013, Kennedy completed 171-of-302 passes for 1,921 yards and 13 touchdowns and was the teamโs leading rusher with 645 ground yards, earning him All-Liberty League First Team honors. He graduated from Rochester with a bachelorโs degree in public health in 2014.
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Kennedyโs Coaching Experience
2015 โ Quarterbacks, ASA College (NJCAA)
2016 โ Offensive Coordinator, ASA College (NJCAA)
2017 โ Offensive Graduate Assistant, Mississippi State
2018, 2019 โ Offensive Graduate Assistant, Florida
2020 โ Offensive Quality Control Coach, Florida
2021 โ Assistant Quarterbacks Coach, Florida
2022 โ Quarterbacks, Holy Cross (FCS)
2023 โ Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Holy Cross (FCS)
2024, 2025 โ Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, James Madison
2026 โ Offensive Coordinator, UCLA
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Kennedy, alongside head coach Bob Chesney, helped James Madison reach new heights in their two years together in Harrisonburg, Va. In 2025, the Dukes recorded just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history, going 8-0, and captured the programโs first Sun Belt Championship. James Madison secured a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the first time in school history with the No. 12 seed and earned its highest AP ranking in program history at No. 19. The Dukes finished the season with a 12-2 record following their CFP First Round appearance.
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Under the direction of Kennedy, James Madisonโs 2025 offense was tops in the Sun Belt and ranked 11th in the FBS in scoring with 37.1 points per game in addition to ranking 17th nationally in total yardage with 452.6 yards per game. The Dukes scored north of 50 points five times with Kennedy calling plays this year, which was tied for second-most in a single season in school history. James Madison also ranked top-10 in the country in first downs (fifth with 316), time of possession (second) and rushing offense (sixth with 241.5).
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Kennedyโs 2025 offensive unit was highlighted by Sun Belt Player of the Year quarterback Alonza Barnett III and Paul Hornung Award Finalist running back Wayne Knight. Barnett recorded 38 touchdowns (23 passing, 15 rushing) and ranked fourth in FBS with 232 total points scored. Knight, who was tabbed as an Associated Press Second Team All-American, posted six games with 150-plus all-purpose yards and four 100-yard rushing performances. Seven of Kennedyโs offensive players received All-Sun Belt accolades, including three First Team honorees.
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In his first season in 2024, Kennedy took over a JMU offense with only three returning starters and guided the Dukes to the nationโs 26th-ranked scoring offense with 33.3 points per game. Kennedyโs group was highly efficient with 191.5 rushing yards per game and 28 passing touchdowns while allowing the third-fewest turnovers in the FBS with nine. James Madison concluded 2024 with the programโs first bowl championship victory, defeating Western Kentucky, 27-17, in the Boca Raton Bowl. Two of Kennedyโs offensive linemen, Pat McMurtrie and Cole Potts, were awarded All-Sun Belt First Team honors. Barnett earned All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention status and was selected to the midseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Davey OโBrien National Quarterback Award.
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A native of Scituate, Mass., Kennedy served on Chesneyโs staff for two seasons at Holy Cross in 2022-23, where he was quarterbacks coach for both campaigns and offensive coordinator for his second year.
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During Kennedyโs time in Worcester, he helped Holy Cross to back-to-back Patriot League championships, a berth in the 2022 NCAA FCS Playoffs and a 19-5 overall record. The Crusaders ranked fourth in the FCS with 466.6 yards per game of total offense and seventh with 36.9 points per game in Kennedyโs first year as an NCAA Division I offensive coordinator in 2023.
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Kennedy mentored two-time Walter Payton Award Finalist and 2023 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Matthew Sluka. The dual-threat quarterback accounted for 2,481 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground and 4,217 passing yards and 46 scores through the air over his two seasons under Kennedy.
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Four Holy Cross offensive players were named All-Americans in 2023. Among those were running back Jordan Fuller, who led the FCS in rushing touchdowns (18), total touchdowns (19) and scoring per game (11.4), and wide receiver Jalen Coker, who led the nation in receiving touchdowns (15). Coker was invited to the NFL Combine before signing with the Carolina Panthers, where he is in his second season.
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In Kennedyโs first year as quarterbacks coach in 2022, Holy Cross registered just its fifth-ever double-digit win total and set a single-season wins record with a 12-1 mark. An 11-0 regular season earned Holy Cross the No. 8 seed for the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Crusaders defeated New Hampshire, 35-19, in the First Round to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1983. Holy Cross finished the year with a No. 6 ranking among all FCS teams as a result of numerous marquee wins, including a hail mary victory against FBS foe Buffalo and an overtime win over nationally-ranked Fordham.
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Sluka was the engine to one of the FCSโ top offenses in 2022, ranking second in yards per completion (16.2), sixth in rushing offense (245.1 yards per game) and eighth in scoring offense (37.4 points per game). Sluka finished with 1,234 rushing yards, the most of any FCS quarterback, while passing for 2,489 yards. He passed for 26 touchdowns while rushing for 11 more.
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Prior to Holy Cross, Kennedy spent four seasons in the Southeastern Conference at Florida from 2018-21. While finishing his stint in Gainesville as assistant quarterbacks coach, Kennedy also served as an offensive quality control coach, as well as a graduate assistant. In 2020, Kennedy aided in the development of quarterback Kyle Trask, who finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Aside from coaching duties, Kennedy assisted the Gators with recruiting in Atlanta and southern Georgia.
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Before Florida, Kennedy was an offensive graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2017. He began his coaching career in 2015 on the NJCAA level at ASA New York as a quarterbacks coach. Kennedy was then elevated to offensive coordinator on the schoolโs affiliate campus in Miami, Fla. in 2016.
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16, where he was quarterbacks coach in his first year before being elevated to offensive coordinator in year two.
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Kennedy was a two-year starting quarterback and played on the menโs basketball team at the University of Rochester in Monroe County, N.Y. As a senior in 2013, Kennedy completed 171-of-302 passes for 1,921 yards and 13 touchdowns and was the teamโs leading rusher with 645 ground yards, earning him All-Liberty League First Team honors. He graduated from Rochester with a bachelorโs degree in public health in 2014.
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Kennedyโs Coaching Experience
2015 โ Quarterbacks, ASA College (NJCAA)
2016 โ Offensive Coordinator, ASA College (NJCAA)
2017 โ Offensive Graduate Assistant, Mississippi State
2018, 2019 โ Offensive Graduate Assistant, Florida
2020 โ Offensive Quality Control Coach, Florida
2021 โ Assistant Quarterbacks Coach, Florida
2022 โ Quarterbacks, Holy Cross (FCS)
2023 โ Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Holy Cross (FCS)
2024, 2025 โ Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, James Madison
2026 โ Offensive Coordinator, UCLA
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