Former Philadelphia Eagles coach and executive Chip Kelly’s second stint as a major college football coach hasn’t gone as well as the first time around, and it appears that the 59-year-old will soon be seeking new employment.
Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online hears from “many sources close to the situation” that it’s “now very realistic” that UCLA will fire Kelly after they play USC Saturday afternoon. The Bruins are 6-4 in 2023, with an underwhelming 3-4 record in conference games. In parts of six seasons at UCLA, Kelly is 33-33.
The Eagles, of course, lured Kelly to the NFL to replace Andy Reid ahead of the 2013 season following an extremely successful run as the coach at the University of Oregon. Kelly led the Eagles to an NFC East title in his first season as the team’s coach, but was ultimately fired late in his third season after a disastrous stint in charge of player personnel.
The Eagles, of course, lured Kelly to the NFL to replace Andy Reid ahead of the 2013 season following an extremely successful run as the coach at the University of Oregon. Kelly led the Eagles to an NFC East title in his first season as the team’s coach, but was ultimately fired late in his third season after a disastrous stint in charge of player personnel.
After a gap year where he worked at ESPN, Kelly was hired by UCLA before the 2018 season. But he’s been unable to return the program to their former glory, perhaps an unfair expectation from the school to begin with. In any event, Kelly’s days with the Bruins appear to be waning. Even if the Bruins are able to defeat USC Saturday — when they are 5.5-point underdogs — Pierson suggests Kelly’s firing could just “be delayed until after the Cal game next Saturday.”
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