New Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (L) spent the 2024 season at Ohio State. File Photo by Mike Zarrilli/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 30 (UPI) — The Northwestern Wildcats hired former NFL and college head coach Chip Kelly as their offensive offensive coordinator, they announced Tuesday.
Northwestern went 7-6 this season under coach David Braun. The Wildcats ranked 98th out of 136 NCAA Division I FBS teams in points per game. They ranked 96th in yards per game (346.1).
“I am honored to join the Northwestern Football program,” Kelly said in a news release. “This program and university are clearly on the rise, and the values of the people and this place align with my own.
“I am grateful for the opportunity.”
Kelly spent most of the 2025 NFL season as offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders, but was fired in November. The Raiders own the worst offense in the NFL, including a practically stagnant running game.
Kelly spent 2024 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State, who used the top defense in college football and No. 14 offense to win a national title. He served as head coach at UCLA from 2018 to 2023.
Kelly became known as an offensive guru during his tenure as coach at Oregon from 2009 through 2012, when the Ducks frequently owned one of the top offenses in college football. That success translated during his first stint as an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013 through 2015.
Kelly went on to coach the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, but was fired after one season. The 49ers owned the second-worst offense in the NFL that season, with the No. 4 rushing attack and No. 32 passing game.
Kelly’s UCLA Bruins went 35-34. They ranked 98th in points per game in his first season, but improved each year through 2022, when they totaled the eighth-most in the country. The Bruins ranked 80th in points per game in 2023. Kelly left for Ohio State the following off-season.
“There is tremendous potential under coach Braun’s leadership, and I’m ready to contribute to this team,” Kelly said. “There is great momentum around the program, and the opening of the new Ryan Field reflects Northwestern’s commitment to excellence and innovation. It will be a major asset as we continue to move forward, and I am excited to get to Evanston.”
The Wildcats went 19-19 in Braun’s first three seasons. They ranked 106th in points per game in 2023 and 128th in 2024. Kelly will replace offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, whose contract expires this off-season.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Chip and his wife, Jill, to our university,” Braun said. “His innovative approach to offense using systems that focus on varying tempo, efficiency and smart decision-making, his track record of developing quarterbacks, and his ability to maximize talent are exactly what our program needs at this moment.
“I am extremely grateful for the ongoing partnership of our university, [athletic director] Mark Jackson and passionate supporters to make this addition happen. Make no mistake: this is a program-defining change and is reflective of our long-term commitment to the pursuit of championships.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (C) celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7 to win the World Series in Toronto on November 1, 2025. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo