'The amount of stuff that happened over the past couple days is just wild,' Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney weighs in on NCAA coaching changes

The college football coaching carousel was, of course, in full whirl this week, with Lincoln Riley’s move from Oklahoma to USC and Assumption graduate Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU.

This week, Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney, who is likely to be highly sought after, too, as his resume continues to build, talked about the recent coaching changes and the business of coaching.

“The amount of stuff that happened over the past couple days is just wild,” he said. “It’s the new norm. The transfer portal for players and for coaches there is a big business element to it. If you’re Lincoln Riley and they give you $110 million and they buy you two houses and give you a free jet any time you want it, who’s saying no to that? There are things that change people’s quality of life, and just like every player that hopes they’re choosing a school that’s going to change their future forever, I’m sure with every coach there is some of that that exists.

“As much as this shouldn’t be a business,” Chesney said, “at some point it is. Either you’re being hired or fired most of the time. It’s one of the most volatile professions in the world. You could go 8-1 one year and have a bad year the next and be fired. It’s very challenging, and for the players it’s not always fair, and for the coaches it’s not always fair what happens to them. We make the most of every day together and that’s all we can do.”

Close relationship with Villanova coaching tree

Chesney grew up in Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, about two hours northwest of Villanova, so he has always been very familiar with the Wildcats, and his connection to the program strengthened during the early days of his coaching career when he worked VU camps in the summer.

Chesney remains close to Andy Talley, the legendary Villanova coach who guided the Wildcats for 32 years. Chesney spoke to Talley just last week and Talley attended a practice earlier this season. Chesney is also friendly with Villanova coach Mark Ferrante, who took over the program five years ago when Talley retired.

Ferrante has been a part of all 14 of Villanova’s postseason appearances at the FCS level, including 12 playoff trips as an assistant and two since he became head coach in 2017.

“I have a lot of respect for that program,” Chesney said. “There is consistency there with coaching, and it is a great school with a great program. They have had great success and there’s serious commitment. I know those guys well; I respect them even more.”

Chesney has another close tie on the Villanova staff in outside linebackers coach Matt Colangelo.

Colangelo was a senior captain on Chesney’s first Assumption team in 2013, and spent the 2018 season as HC’s safeties coach.

Odds and ends

Friday’s game will be the 23rd all-time meeting between Holy Cross and Villanova. The Wildcats hold a 13-9 advantage in the series. … Villanova is in the postseason for the 19th time. The Wildcats won the national title in 2009, when it beat HC in the first round, and made semifinal appearances in 2002 and 2010. … This season, Villanova went 2-0 against the Patriot League, with a 47-3 win over Lehigh and a 55-3 trouncing of Bucknell.

Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTandG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross football coach Bob Chesney weighs in on recent NCAA coaching changes