Chip Kelly is heading back to school. The veteran coach is set to become the next offensive coordinator at Northwestern, ESPN reported Tuesday morning, a quick pivot back to the college game after another brief and bumpy NFL stop.
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Kelly's latest run came with the Las Vegas Raiders, where his first season as offensive coordinator unraveled fast. He was fired Nov. 23 after a 2-9 start, and the Raiders have not won since, sliding to 2-14 and into pole position for the top pick in the draft.
At 62, Kelly has worn just about every headset imaginable. He was a college head coach at Oregon and UCLA, an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, and recently won a national title as offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
Northwestern is hoping the college version still hits.
According to ESPN, the Wildcats viewed Kelly as a coach who could adapt to personnel and maximize an offense that ranked No. 96 nationally in both total offense and scoring. His plan is expected to mirror what he ran at UCLA, where the Bruins reached a bowl game in each of his final three seasons. In his last year there, UCLA ranked 17th in rushing, and the year before averaged more than 500 yards per game.
Kelly replaces Zach Lujan and joins a program entering a new phase under head coach David Braun, with Ryan Field set to reopen next season.
Northwestern went 7-6 in 2025 and finished with a bowl win. Now it turns to a familiar name, hoping a return to campus brings a reset that sticks.
