The college football coaching carousel may have come to a close with the recent coaching change at UConn, but one popular name for coaching rumors is apparently back on the market as the NFL is about to hit its stride in the coaching change department. Chip Kelly, former head coach of the Oregon Ducks and the Philadelphia Eagles is about to be the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. With Kelly supposedly back on the market after being fired from two NFL franchises in the past year, the most likely destination for Kelly will, hopefully, be the college ranks.
And boy would we love to have him back!
The problem is, unless a school chooses to seize the opportunity to grab Kelly now and make a very late coaching change, any speculation about Kelly’s next college job will have to wait until the 2017 coaching carousel gets rolling in November and December. Between now and then, expect Kelly’s name to be tied to any number of high profile potential coaching vacancies. Tennessee? Texas A&M? Perhaps UCLA? The possibilities really are limitless, although you should expect if Kelly returns to the college game, it will come at a power conference program with loads of potential (and cash).
Kelly has had a show-cause penalty from the NCAA linked to his time at Oregon expire, so he is free to be hired by any program capable of luring him in. Kelly has said before in the past couple of years he has the desire to be a coach in the NFL, but after two burnouts, unless he is going to be an offensive coordinator (which may not be a likely possibility just yet), a head coaching job at a major college program feels like a very safe bet.
But where?
Oh, this should be loads of fun.