Oregon Football: 5 coaching candidates who could replace Mario Cristobal

Dec 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal reacts against the Utah Utesin the second half during the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium.Utah defeated Oregon 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal reacts against the Utah Utesin the second half during the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium.Utah defeated Oregon 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Nov 13, 2021; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly looks on in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly looks on in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

1. Chip Kelly, UCLA head coach

There have been Oregon fans clamoring for Joe Moorhead as the next head coach, but I just don’t think it would be as successful of a fit as bringing back a legend like Chip Kelly.

Moorhead has been a decent offensive coordinator for the Ducks for the past couple of seasons, but hiring him would be like the same as bringing in Mark Helfrich, in my opinion. It would be a safe choice and the ceiling would be limited, but Kelly could really return Oregon to the glory days and bring back that electric offense in Eugene.

If you don’t recall why Kelly left in the first place, he wanted to follow his dream of becoming an NFL head coach. He spent three seasons with the Eagles, going 26-21 and making the playoffs once and then one year in San Francisco, leading the 49ers to a 2-14 record before getting fired.

Kelly came back to the college ranks with UCLA and had a rough first three years before breaking out and going 8-4 in 2021. He is a popular name around Eugene and you know Ducks fans would welcome him back with open arms.

This would be best-case scenario and it would instantly make for an incredible story.

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