Chip Kelly Makes his Glorious Return to the Pac-12

It has been five long years since Chip Kelly has coached in a college football game. Today, the former mastermind behind the explosive Oregon offenses of 2009 to 2012 has returned to the Pac-12 conference, this time as the head coach of UCLA. Fox Sports reports that the contract length is 5 years, paying Kelly an annual salary of $4 million.

Kelly returns to the conference where he once won three straight titles, a conference that has undergone some transformation since he left. Kelly himself also transformed, leaving Oregon for the ranks of professional football. In three years at the helm of the Philadelphia Eagles, and one year leading the San Francisco 49ers, Kelly managed a sub-par 28-35 record, but was able to make the playoffs in his inaugural season in Philadelphia.

During his four years as head coach of the Oregon Ducks, Kelly impressed with a 46-7 record, which included three conference titles, a Rose Bowl victory, a Fiesta Bowl victory, and two AP top 5 finishes. It is clear that Kelly is a college coach, as his spread option system never seemed to click in the NFL, at least not for an extended period of time.

Now, Kelly will face a tough test. Assuming that star quarterback Josh Rosen departs for the NFL, Kelly is left with current redshirt freshman Devon Modster, who completed 30 of his 45 pass attempts this year. An inexperienced quarterback should be helped by the thirteenth ranked recruiting class, according to 247sports. All of those commits pledged to the former coaching regime, so some shakeup can be expected. However, hiring a national name like Chip Kelly should supplement any losses to the current recruiting class. The ultimate challenge for Kelly is UCLA’s neighbor school, USC. USC is currently enjoying a successful season, and the 21st ranked recruiting class as well. With the slew of athletes available in California, specifically Los Angeles, recruiting will be an all out war between the two schools, and should add some fire to the legendary rivalry.

The key to Kelly’s success at UCLA, just as it was at Oregon, will be good quarterback play. With Marcus Mariota manning the position, Kelly enjoyed his most successful seasons in Eugene. A smart, mobile quarterback who can also throw the ball will succeed in this type of offense. Sounds easy to find right? Well, UCLA will have to compete with the current recruiting powerhouses of Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State to lure these future star quarterbacks to their school. If recruiting was a key reason behind the dismissal of Jim Mora, then UCLA found the right man to lead them.

Having Chip Kelly back in college football just seems right. If he can return UCLA to glory, then order will have been restored into the game we all love.