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The college football coaching carousel could start spinning again soon. Chip Kelly’s future at UCLA is uncertain, according to a report.
Kelly took the UCLA in November 2017. After four seasons, Kelly is heading into the final year of his contract. Jon Wilner of The Mercury News explained the situation:
To be clear: We believe it’s more likely than not that Kelly will coach the Bruins next season. But by no means is his return guaranteed, according to sources familiar with the situation.
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The mere fact that Kelly has entered lame duck territory is all the evidence required to understand the fragile state of affairs.
The next two weeks will be tense. On Jan. 16, the $9 million buyout in Kelly’s contract drops to zero. At that point, he could walk away from UCLA, or the school could cut him loose.
A coach’s return described as “more likely than not” is hardly the stability as Power 5 program seeks on Dec. 31, weeks after the Early Signing Period. Wilner floats the possibility of Kelly walking from UCLA for an NFL job as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator.
UCLA is 18-25 during Kelly’s 4 seasons. The Bruins went 8-4 and accepted a bid to the Holiday Bowl but could not play due to COVID issues.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
