Northwestern has hired veteran coach Chip Kelly as the school’s new offensive coordinator, the school announced Tuesday.
Kelly is a two-time college head coach, with Oregon and UCLA, and two-time NFL head coach, with Philadelphia and San Francisco, who brings an expertise in varying systems and personnel, which was appealing to Northwestern, sources told ESPN.
Kelly won a national title as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2024. He worked as New Hampshire’s offensive coordinator (1999-2006), Oregon’s offensive coordinator (2007-08) and has an extensive history as a playcaller and head coach.
Welcome to Northwestern, Chip Kelly!
A veteran offensive mind with 35 years of NFL and college experience joins David Braun’s staff as Offensive Coordinator. pic.twitter.com/RR71XKEXGZ
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) December 30, 2025
“His innovative approach to offense using systems that focus on varying tempo, efficiency and smart decision-making, his track record of developing quarterbacks, and his ability to maximize talent are exactly what our program needs at this moment,” coach David Braun said in a statement.
“Make no mistake: this is a program-defining change and is reflective of our long-term commitment to the pursuit of championships.”
“I am honored to join the Northwestern Football program,” Kelly said in the statement. “This program and university are clearly on the rise, and the values of the people and this place align with my own. I am grateful for the opportunity.”
Kelly spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders as offensive coordinator, which ended when he was fired Nov. 23 after a 2-9 start.
More than a month later, he lands at Northwestern. The school will open the new Ryan Field next year with a playcaller who has thrived in the Big Ten at Ohio State and in the Pac-12 at UCLA and Oregon, before both schools moved to the Big Ten.
Northwestern finished No. 15 in the Big Ten in points per game in the regular season (22.5).
Kelly replaces current coordinator Zach Lujan, who has a contract that expires soon after the season. He joins Braun, who has two bowl wins in three seasons at the school, as Northwestern blew out Central Michigan 34-7 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
The school viewed Kelly, per sources, as someone who could adjust to different personnel and help maximize an offense that ranked No. 96 in the country in both total offense and scoring offense.
Kelly had great success at Ohio State in 2024, culminating with Ohio State’s aggressive finishing playcall against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes sealed the game with a go-ball call to Jeremiah Smith on third-and-11, as he caught a 56-yard pass with less than three minutes remaining to set up a field goal in the 34-23 win.
Ohio State finished 2024 with the country’s No. 14 scoring offense. Kelly’s offenses at Northwestern would project to have a vibe more like his offenses at UCLA, as his 2023 team finished No. 17 nationally in rush offense and his 2022 team averaged a school-record 503.6 yards per game. The 2021 and 2020 Bruins led the Pac-12 in scoring.
Those UCLA teams used the portal well to bring in veteran players and control the game on the ground. They won 25 total games during Kelly’s final three seasons.
Kelly won at Oregon as the coordinator and head coach with an aggressive tempo that helped change the sport, but that style doesn’t appear likely to be replicated at Northwestern.
The hire comes at a time when Northwestern is opening its new state-of-the-art Ryan Field, a project estimated to cost $850 million.
