Oregon football is reportedly showing interest in Chip Kelly

Just days after requesting to speak to BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Oregon football has requested an interview with UCLA head coach Chip Kelly.

Some coaches will always have a home with certain programs no matter how far removed they are. Chip Kelly has just that with Oregon football.

The former Ducks head coach had a ton of success in Eugene from 2009-12 but then he decided to make the jump to the NFL where he spent time with the Eagles and 49ers. He then returned to the college ranks and UCLA hired him back to the Pac-12. Some Oregon fans hated the move because they’d have to root against Chip, but the Ducks had their coach.

Kelly had a tough first three years with the Bruins, going 10-21, but he turned things around starting in 2020 and now he has UCLA at 8-4 and heading to a bowl game.

This success over the past two seasons has some teams interested in trying to poach him away from UCLA, including one familiar school that is now in the market for a new coach: Oregon.

According to reports, Oregon has asked for permission to speak with Kelly.

This would be an interesting move because he went 46-7 in four years with the Ducks before bolting for the NFL, so it’s pretty obvious he knows how to succeed at Oregon.

Most Ducks fans would welcome him back with open arms to be the savior after Mario Cristobal left them high and dry.

Chip Kelly and Oregon football just make sense

Kelly spent two years as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator in 2007-08 before taking over as head coach and leading them to four double-digit win seasons, including three straight 12-win campaigns from 2010-12.

This was a fit that just made sense. He led the Ducks to a national title game and four straight BCS bowls, winning three Pac-12 titles and two division titles (after the league went to divisions in 2011). His success was unmatched at Oregon and he seemed to be the coach closest to winning it all in Eugene.

If Oregon is looking to stay atop the Pac-12, Kelly is the guy.