New UCLA coach Bob Chesney is grateful for the grass he coaches on

· Yahoo Sports

Following the UCLA Bruins first spring practice on Thursday, first-year head coach Bob Chesney had a feeling of comfort. Not because of his own coaching, but because of the fact that UCLA got to practice on grass.

“The field is actually really nice. I think that’s something that I was not 100% sure with at the beginning,” Chesney said. “To play on that grass surface, protect some guys. It’s obviously fast, it’s all the things you want and it’s what we play on on gameday.”

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This is UCLA’s second season with their new grass practice fields, but it’s their first with Chesney who has brought back a sense of hope within the program after a woeful 3-9 season last year.

It’s been proven that natural grass is safer than artificial turf, and even though we’re still months out of UCLA’s opener versus Cal, health is still of the utmost importance. UCLA won’t be able to climb up the Big Ten standings with a banged-up roster, so any step to prevent injuries is a worthwhile one.

Chesney was pleased with UCLA’s practice, beyond just the field itself. The former James Madison coach opted against shouting out individual players, instead voicing his appreciation for the players leading the way in the weight rooms and in meetings. 

“If you want to be a great football player, you can’t be bad at life. You can only be one degree of separation from how you’re living your life,” Chesney said. “That’s what I watch. We don’t have any bad guys, that are bad students, that are bad teammates. We don’t have any of that.”

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Mick Cronin ushered a similar sentiment about Donovan Dent just last month. We’ll see if that all can lead to wins for the Bruins on the gridiron in 2026.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: From the grass up: Bob Chesney pleased with UCLA's spring practice

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