🔥 HOT NEWS: Why bringing Chip Kelly back to the Oregon Ducks could spark a strategic revival that changes everything ⚡. DH
Chip Kelly is looking in the job market after he was let go by the Las Vegas Raiders in the middle of the NFL season. Does it make sense for the former Oregon coach to be hired back to the Ducks coaching staff?
Coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks athletic department have some big questions to answer in the coming months. With the coaching carousel in full swing across programs, especially with the SEC, and even certain NFL franchises, a number of experienced candidates have become available.
Chip Kelly, former Oregon Ducks head coach, was fired as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders halfway through the 2025 NFL season. If Oregon’s current offensive coordinator Will Stein leaves the Ducks for a head coaching position, would it make sense for Kelly to be considered as a replacement option?
Kelly was Oregon’s offensive coordinator from 2007-08 and the head coach from 2009-2012 with a 46-7 overall record. The now 62-year-old won the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, appeared in two Rose Bowls (winning in 2012), as well as the 2011 BCS national championship game during that span.
He knows the university. He knows Eugene. He knows what it takes to win. Here are three reasons why Oregon should hire Kelly back.
Oregon needs a home run name to replace Will Stein
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein is on his way out the door; it’s inevitable, as he’s one of the most sought-after coaches right now to help turn around a school’s football plan of action. As of late, Stein, a Louisville, Kentucky native, is rumored to be taking the head job in Lexington with the Kentucky Wildcats.
He has left his mark on the program inside Autzen Stadium with his gun-slinging, aggressive, yet modern approach to running up the scoreboard. He spreads defenses horizontally, runs with physical backs, incorporates trick plays, uses formations to create mismatches/put players in space, and loves to take shots downfield.
Kelly has a similar combative point of view on how an offense should run, both with his first stint with the Ducks and recently in Columbus, Ohio.
Kelly led one of the top offenses with Ohio State just a season ago
On his way to winning the 2024 national championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kelly’s offense averaged 6.9 yards per play (fourth-highest in FBS), created a scoring offense tied for No. 12 in the country (35.7 points per game), and only turned the ball over 1.0 times per game (tied for No. 105 least).
These types of numbers fit the standard of what Oregon is looking for, and he knows how to get to the mountain top with it. Kelly’s previous experience matters in the type of role as Lanning’s right-hand man.
