Chip Kelly Reportedly Hired As Northwestern OC Amid UNC Rumors After Raiders Firing

Veteran coach Chip Kelly is expected to be hired as the next offensive coordinator at Northwestern, according to On3.com's Pete Nakos and ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Kelly spent most of the 2025 season as the Las Vegas Raiders' OC, but he was fired in November amid a 2-9 start.

At Northwestern, Kelly will serve under head coach David Braun, who recently completed his third season in that role.

The 62-year-old Kelly is no stranger to the college ranks, as he was the head coach at Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and UCLA from 2018 to 2023, compiling an overall record of 81-41.

He was also the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, Oregon and Ohio State, delivering some of the most innovative and effective offensive attacks in college football during those stints.

Kelly arguably did his best work during his most recent spell in college football, as OSU averaged 35.7 points per game and won the national championship in 2024 with Kelly as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Things didn't go nearly as well for him in Vegas, as the Raiders ranked last in the NFL in both total offense and scoring offense at the time of his firing.

Despite having weapons such as running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers to work with, Kelly was unable to extract any sort of consistent production from the Raiders' offense.

Kelly has typically always been at his best in college, though, and at Northwestern he will have a chance to join a program that may be on the rise.

Over Braun's first three seasons at the helm, the Wildcats have posted a winning record twice and won a pair of bowl games.

This past season, Northwestern went 7-6 overall, including a 4-5 mark in the loaded Big Ten. The Wildcats also dominated Central Michigan 34-7 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

Of course, much of Kelly's success as Northwestern's OC will be tied to his quarterback, and it isn't yet known who will fill that role in 2026.

Graduate transfer Preston Stone performed admirably as the Wildcats' starting quarterback in 2025, and it is fair to wonder if Northwestern will dip into the transfer portal once again, especially now that it offers the allure of getting to play under an offensive guru like Kelly.