Athletic Staff and David Ubben | The Athletic

Northwestern hired Chip Kelly as its offensive coordinator, the school announced Tuesday. Kelly is a former NFL and college head coach at multiple stops. ESPN first reported the news.

Kelly was fired in November as the Las Vegas Raiders’ OC after just 11 games. He held the same role for Ohio State in 2024, helping it win the national title. He left his head coaching job with UCLA after six seasons, during which he went 35-34, to join the Buckeyes. He’s also been a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and in the college ranks at Oregon, where the Ducks were known for Kelly’s high-tempo offenses.

Northwestern offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s contract will reportedly expire after this season. Kelly will join head coach David Braun, who just completed his third season in charge. Northwestern ranked 98th in the FBS in total offense and in scoring offense. The Wildcats went 7-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten this season, winning the GameAbove Sports Bowl over Central Michigan.

What Kelly’s hire means for Northwestern

Kelly is one of the sport’s most accomplished coaches, but when he isn’t working at a talent advantage, his results have been average. He won’t have a talent advantage at Northwestern.

His work at Oregon — 46 wins in four seasons — earned him an NFL head coaching job, but he never won a playoff game in a league known for its parity. And his college offensive scheme was innovative a decade ago, but has been copied so thoroughly in the sport that college defenses have developed answers they didn’t have when he was at Oregon.

His results at UCLA were average, and he’s never been known as a dogged recruiter, which may be less of an issue now in a recruiting world ruled by money and less by relationships than it’s ever been.

He helped Ohio State win a national title but quickly flamed out with a bad roster in Las Vegas in the NFL, being fired after a 2-9 start under Pete Carroll.

Kelly is still a name that resonates in college football and will build some buzz in Evanston, but he has to prove he can build a strong offense with a roster in the bottom half of the Big Ten. — David Ubben, national college football writer