UCLA Bruins head coach Bob Chesney opens up on former Saints QB Derek Carr joining his coaching staff.
Derek Carr announced his retirement from the NFL in May 2025 due to a serious shoulder injury. Jumping straight into a hands-on college football role just over a year later, that too as a special advisor in Westwood, naturally came as a bit of a shocker.
The announcement of Carr joining the UCLA Bruins came on Monday, Aug. 10, in the middle of their fall training camp.
“(He said) ‘I’m going to be around a lot, and I’d love to be able to help out.’ I think when Derek Carr asks to help out, the answer is yes.”
Bob Chesney Elaborates on Derek Carr’s Role
UCLA Bruins head coach Bob Chesney
UCLA Bruins head coach Bob Chesney
Before anyone could even fire off a question, Bob Chesney laid out Derek Carr’s exact responsibilities.
“We are excited to welcome Derek to our program,” Bruins head coach Bob Chesney said in a news release. “What stands out most is his passion for the game and his commitment to developing young people. Derek will have a tremendous impact on our players and is a great addition to our program.”
Carr’s 11 seasons’ worth of NFL knowledge, especially on the offensive side, will help Chesney devise an even better offensive strategy while helping out the quarterbacks in a voluntary role.
“It’s this ability to communicate with the quarterback in real time,” he said.
“The pressure that you feel back there as a quarterback, I think it’s pretty awesome to hear a different guy’s perspective that’s done it a very long time at the highest level. As he speaks, we certainly listen to what he says he sees, or what he thinks the quarterback sees.”
Carr’s Presence in the QB Room Was Much-Needed
Derek Carr, Saints, UCLA Bruins
Derek Carr, Saints, UCLA Bruins
Carr’s presence becomes undeniably crucial for Iamaleava. Under DeShaun Foster, Iamaleava had a disastrous 2025 season with under 2,000 yards passing, completely tanking his draft stock entering his final collegiate year.
That said, 2026 is a make-or-break year for him, and having a first-year head coach in Chesney is already a gamble. Carr’s presence ensures that ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft, Iamaleava’s performance could at least make him a decent backup option for NFL Scouts. And that’s putting it mildly.
If he puts it together under Chesney and Carr, Iamaleava packs the kind of raw, first-round upside scouts absolutely drool over.
More than just Iamaleava, Carr’s uncompensated role helps Chesney hold the reins properly as he gets familiar with the program. In his voluntary advisor role, Carr cannot actively recruit or have play-calling whistles during live game days. But he can devise a deadly offensive game plan for Chesney’s offense, weekly and for the season, while simultaneously working directly with the QBs at practice and talking them through drive adjustments on the sideline.
That’s exactly Chesney’s plan for him.
“We’re going to go through the playbook and talk about where we want his eyes, where we want his feet, everything we want to do within the scheme. But then there’s this little piece of a guy that says, ‘I know what exactly what this feels like at this moment,’ and that’s invaluable.”
Carr won’t have to hit the road for an hour-long commute every day, either.
“He has a place in Newport Beach, right down the road,” Chesney noted.
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Pankti Parmar Pankti Parmar is an Ahmedabad-based writer and editor who has spent more than a four covering sports, with a deep focus on college football. She has worked for publishing houses like The Sporting News and FanSided, where she reported, wrote, and edited coverage across the gridiron: from Saturday Night news and analysis to larger stories shaping the College Football Playoff.. More about Pankti Parmar