Chip Kelly Resigns From UCLA After Six Seasons

The former Oregon Ducks football coach took over the UCLA Bruins in 2018.

UCLA football coach Chip Kelly informed his team that he is leaving the program on Friday afternoon. Kelly departs a Bruins program that he took over ahead of the 2018 season.

Shortly after the news was first reported, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond confirmed the news in a statement.

“I want to sincerely thank Chip for his service to UCLA Football and our student-athletes across the past six seasons and wish the best to him and [Kelly’s wife] Jill moving forward,” Jarmond wrote. 

“A national search for the next head coach of UCLA has already begun. As we continue preparation for our move to the Big Ten Conference later this year, it is imperative that we have the right leader in place to position the program to compete at the highest level for our student-athletes, fans and university.”

UCLA Bruins head football coach Chip Kelly has resigned, sources tell SI :: Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Kelly is expected to join Ohio State’s staff as offensive coordinator amid reports that Bill O’Brien, who took that same job less than a month ago, is set to become the head coach at Boston College.

Late in the ’23 season, rumors emerged that Kelly was on the hot seat in Westwood, but he ultimately retained his job after finishing 8–5 with a win in the LA Bowl. In six seasons at UCLA, he went 35–34 with a 26–26 Pac-12 record, finishing with three straight winning seasons after going under .500 in his first three years with the program.

That didn’t stop Kelly from pursuing other jobs during the offseason, however. In January, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that Kelly had interest from multiple NFL teams with offensive coordinator jobs. Earlier this week, The Ringer‘s Benjamin Solak reported that the Seattle Seahawks interviewed Kelly for that role under new coach Mike Macdonald. Instead, he will reportedly remain in the college ranks.

The now-former UCLA coach is set to coach under Ryan Day, with whom he shares a deep history. 

Both coaches are New Hampshire natives, and both played and coached at the state’s flagship school, University of New Hampshire. Kelly was a defensive back in the early 1980s, returning as running backs coach in ’92 and again in ’94. In ’99, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, and coached Day, a quarterback for the Wildcats. After graduating, Day became tight ends coach for the program in ’02, before leaving for a job at Boston College. 

Kelly would become the OC at Oregon in ’07, and is best known for his four-year head coaching stint with the Ducks from 2009 to ’12. He led the program to a 46–7 (33–3 Pac-10/12) record with Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl wins and a trip to the BCS national championship game in ’10.

Their paths crossed once again after Kelly jumped to the NFL, with Day serving as Kelly’s quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and the San Francisco 49ers in ’16. He would join the staff at Ohio State the following year.

Kelly went 26–21 with the Eagles from 2013 to ’15 before being fired after a 6–9 record in his final year. He went 2–14 in one year with the 49ers before returning to college football.

With the move, and the Big Ten’s forthcoming additions of four Pac-12 programs, Kelly will see both of his former college programs in conference play. This fall, the Buckeyes will face the Ducks on Oct. 12, and they’ll host the Bruins during the 2025 season.