Chip Kelly is heading back to school.
The veteran coach is set to become the next offensive coordinator at Northwestern, ESPN reported Tuesday morning.
Kelly takes over the Wildcats offense after his turbulent first season as the OC for the Las Vegas Raiders got cut short, as he was fired on Nov. 23 after a 2–9 start.
Chip Kelly was fired from the Las Vegas Raiders in November amid a 2-9 start. AP
The 62-year-old Kelly is a two-time college head coach at Oregon and UCLA, and he also helmed the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
Before joining Las Vegas for the 2025 season, he won a national title as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
He previously called plays at New Hampshire from 1999–2006, and later with the Ducks from 2007–2008 before getting elevated to head coach.
According to ESPN, Northwestern viewed Kelly as someone “who could adjust to different personnel and help maximize an offense that ranked No. 96 in the country in both total offense and scoring offense.”
His strategy, says ESPN, will most likely mirror his schemes at UCLA, where he clinched a bowl berth in each of the last three seasons of his six-year tenure before stepping down after the 2023 season.
In Kelly’s final year in LA, the Bruins boasted the 17th-ranked rush offense in the country. A season prior, they set a program record with 503.6 yards per game.
Northwestern Wildcats tight end Lawson Albright (86), running back Caleb Komolafe (5) and quarterback Preston Stone (8) celebrate a touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Wrigley Field. Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
UCLA led the Pac-12 in scoring in both 2020 and 2021.
Kelly takes over for current coordinator Zach Lujan, whose contract expires after the 2025 season.
His hiring helps usher in a new era for Northwestern football under head coach David Braun, as the program is set to open the new state-of-the-art Ryan Field next season.
The Wildcats posted a 7–6 record during the 2025 campaign and owned the Big Ten’s 15th-ranked scoring offense (22.5 points per game).
They capped their season with a 34–7 rout over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 — the 40-year-old Braun’s second bowl win in his first three seasons at the helm.
The Raiders have gone 0–5 since Kelly’s departure, currently holding the NFL’s worst record (2–14) and an 80 percent chance of securing the first overall pick in next year’s draft.