Northwestern Veteran coach Chip Kelly is being hired as the school’s new offensive coordinator, sources tell ESPN.
Kelly is a two-time college head coach with Oregon and UCLA, and an NFL head coach with Philadelphia and San Francisco, specializing in different systems and personnel, which was attractive to Northwestern.
Kelly wins national title as offensive coordinator Ohio State In 2024. He served as New Hampshire’s offensive coordinator (1999–2006), Oregon’s offensive coordinator (2007–08) and has an extensive history as a playcaller and head coach.
They spent last season together las vegas raiders As an offensive coordinator, who finished when he was fired November 23 after a 2-9 start.
After more than a month, he landed at Northwestern. The school will open the new Ryan Field next year with a playcaller who has flourished in the Big Ten at Ohio State and UCLA and Oregon in the Pac-12, before both schools transferred to the Big Ten.
Northwestern ranked 15th in the Big Ten in points per game in the regular season (22.5).
Kelly replaces current coordinator Zack Lujan, whose contract expires immediately after the season. He joins David Braun, who has two bowl wins in three seasons at the school, as Northwestern defeated Central Michigan 34–7 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
According to sources, the school viewed Kelly as someone who could adjust to different personnel and help maximize the offense, which ranked 96th in the nation in both total offense and scoring offense.
Kelly had great success at Ohio State in 2024, culminating with Ohio State’s offensive finishing playcall against Notre Dame. Buckeyes seal game with go-ball call Jeremiah Smith On third-and-11, he caught a 56-yard pass with less than three minutes remaining to set up a field goal in a 34–23 victory.
Ohio State finished 2024 with the No. 14 scoring attack in the country. Kelly’s offenses at Northwestern will seem more like his offenses at UCLA, as his 2023 team ranked 17th nationally in rushing offense and his 2022 team averaged a school-record 503.6 yards per game. The 2021 and 2020 Bruins led the Pac-12 in scoring.
Those UCLA teams used Portal well to bring in experienced players and control the game on the field. During Kelly’s final three seasons he won a total of 25 games.
Kelly won as coordinator and head coach at Oregon with an offensive pace that helped change the game, but that style is unlikely to be replicated at Northwestern.
The appointment comes as Northwestern is opening its new state-of-the-art Ryan Field, a project estimated to cost $850 million.
