UCLA's Chip Kelly: Rumors of Impending Firing 'Not an Issue for Me' After Win vs. USC

Despite rumors of his impending firing, Chip Kelly isn't concerned about his future as UCLA's head coach.

Following the Bruins' 38-20 win against Caleb Williams and USC, Kelly spoke to reporters about the rumors.

"Not an issue for me," he said, according to Justin Rudolph of On3.com. "I've never been governed by the fear of what other people say, and the lessons that this game has taught me is that there's gonna be highs and there's gonna be lows. And you gotta lean into the lows, embrace them, and then you just gotta go to work."

Kelly also revealed that he spoke with executive senior associate athletic director Josh Rebholz, who relayed a message from athletic director Martin Jarmond that denied the validity of the rumor.

"Josh [Rebholz] came over the other day and said, 'Hey, there's a report about this, and Martin [Jarmond] told me it was inaccurate, inappropriate," he said, per Rudolph. "I don't pay attention to that stuff, I don't read that stuff, I never see that stuff."

It didn't appear to affect Kelly's team, either. The Bruins' 38 points scored was the team's third-highest total of the season, ending a two-game losing streak.

Starting quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for 155 yards and a season-high three touchdowns, recording zero interceptions. Running back T.J. Harden crossed the century mark for the first time all season, racking up 142 yards on his 22 carries.

"You can see by the performance today it didn't bother the team," Kelly said, according to Rudolph. "I never talked to the team about it, never talked to our coaches about it. We're just fortunate. We're all blessed that we get to play this sport. And every day that we get to coach it, I'm the happiest man in the world."

UCLA moved to 7-4 after the win, as the Bruins are bowl-eligible for the third time in six years under the former NFL head coach.