Anthony DiMichele

Biography

Anthony DiMichele begins his first season as safeties coach for the UCLA football program in 2026. He arrived in Westwood after spending the previous two seasons in the same role at James Madison University. The 2026 campaign marks DiMichele’s 12th year of coaching. DiMichele has now served on head coach Bob Chesney’s staff in six of the last nine seasons. He has assisted Chesney as his safeties coach for five straight years, with two seasons apiece at James Madison (2024-25) and FCS Holy Cross (2022-23). DiMichele was also the running backs coach on Chesney’s initial staff at Holy Cross in 2018. Most recently, DiMichele and 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 program’s 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. DiMichele assisted one of the nation’s elite defenses at James Madison in 2025, ranking fifth in the FBS with 266.6 yards allowed per game and 13th with 18.4 points allowed per game. DiMichele’s safeties helped the Dukes lead the Sun Belt with 181.6 passing yards allowed per game. James Madison held opponents to under 200 yards of

Career Path