Report: SEC clears Florida to potentially hire Chip Kelly

It looks like Florida has received the go-ahead from the SEC to pursue Chip Kelly.

It was announced on Monday that Kelly was one candidate the Gators were looking at for the open head coach position. News then came out Tuesday that one of the remaining potential hurdles to Florida was clearance from the SEC.

Kelly made a name for himself while coaching the Oregon Ducks but left the school during an NCAA investigation. The investigation did determine that Kelly had violated NCAA rules and imposed an 18-month ban from college football on the coach.

The time for the suspension was passed sometime ago, but reports were indicating that the SEC would need to approve Kelly’s entrance into the conference.

It now appears that Florida has the go-ahead from the SEC as of Tuesday. Sports agent and Florida insider Darren Heitner shared the information on Twitter:

I’m now hearing that SEC commissioner has chosen to not stand in way of Florida hiring Chip Kelly if he is the school’s selection. Reporting with @biggamejames36.

— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) November 14, 2017

It remains to be seen if Kelly is indeed Florida’s selection, but it sure sounds like things are heating up. Florida’s vetting of Kelly also serves as another reminder of how desperate SEC teams are to compete with Nick Saban and Alabama.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.