This profile is part of a series by Jeremy Pernell, who has identified several potential candidates to fill Nebraska’s vacancy at offensive coordinator after head coach Matt Rhule’s firing of Dana Holgorsen. | Intro • Next

Chip Kelly has one of the most accomplished offensive résumés in college football. He's also demonstrating that, even after more than three decades in coaching, he's still capable of adapting his approach and finding new ways to attack defenses.

Kelly was hired as Northwestern's offensive coordinator last December after being dismissed by the Las Vegas Raiders. He's taken over an offense that has struggled for much of the past decade and quickly made it one of the more creative units in the Big Ten.

The Wildcats are averaging 31 points per game this season, ranking 49th nationally, while their 421.2 yards per game rank 38th. They're 32nd in rushing at 190.2 yards per contest and 67th in passing at 231.

Those numbers might not jump off the page but they represent significant improvements.

Northwestern averaged just 23.4 points and 346.1 yards per game last season. Under Kelly, those figures have increased by nearly eight points and 75 yards.

The Wildcats rushed for 413 yards in a 34-13 victory over Penn State on October 2, their highest single-game rushing total since 2003. They've also surpassed 500 total yards against multiple Big Ten opponents for the first time since 2007.

That's particularly impressive considering how much the offense has changed schematically.

Kelly became famous for helping revolutionize college football's up-tempo spread offenses at Oregon. But at Northwestern, he's incorporated elements of the old Wing-T and wishbone offenses into a multiple attack that utilizes motion, misdirection, option concepts and different personnel groupings.

The idea is to create confusion about who's getting the football and force defenders to account for several potential ballcarriers. Wingbacks and other players move across formations before the snap, creating different blocking angles and opportunities to attack vulnerable areas of a defense.

He'll combine those looks with more conventional spread concepts, quarterback runs and play-action passes designed to exploit defenders who become overly aggressive trying to stop the running game.

It's an interesting blend of old-school football and modern offensive principles, and exactly the sort of creativity I'd like to see Nebraska incorporate.

Kelly developed many of his offensive philosophies during his lengthy tenure at New Hampshire, where he served as offensive coordinator from 1999 through 2006. Quarterback Ricky Santos won the Walter Payton Award in 2006 as the top offensive player in Division I-AA/FCS.

Mike Bellotti hired Kelly as Oregon's offensive coordinator in 2007, and he succeeded Bellotti as head coach two years later.

What followed was one of the most productive stretches in college football. Kelly went 46-7 during four seasons leading the Ducks, won three conference championships and reached the national championship game following the 2010 season.

That 2010 offense led the nation in scoring at 47 points per game and total offense at 530.7 yards. Oregon also averaged 286.2 rushing yards, ranking fourth nationally.

In fact, all six Oregon offenses Kelly directed from 2007 through 2012 finished among the nation's top six in rushing.

Running back LaMichael James won the Doak Walker Award in 2010, while Kenjon Barner earned consensus All-America recognition in 2012. Quarterback Marcus Mariota was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year that same season.

Kelly subsequently spent three seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, winning the NFC East in 2013, before a difficult one-year stint leading the San Francisco 49ers.

He returned to college football as UCLA's head coach in 2018, where his offenses eventually became among the most productive in the country.

In 2022, the Bruins averaged a school-record 503.6 yards per game, ranking fourth nationally, and 39.2 points, ranking eighth. They also ranked sixth in rushing at 237.2 yards per contest.

That offense featured quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who finished his career holding several UCLA passing records, and running back Zach Charbonnet, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection who subsequently became a second-round NFL Draft pick.

Kelly made an unusual career decision in February 2024 when he left his head-coaching position at UCLA to become Ohio State's offensive coordinator under Ryan Day, whom he'd previously coached at New Hampshire.

The two had worked together at multiple stops, and Kelly wanted to return to a more hands-on role coaching quarterbacks and directing an offense.

It worked out pretty well.

Kelly called plays for Ohio State's 2024 national championship team, which averaged 35.7 points per game, ranking 14th nationally.

Quarterback Will Howard threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns while establishing a school record with a 73.1% completion rate. Freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, while center Seth McLaughlin won the Rimington Trophy.

Kelly's ability to develop productive running games and adjust his system to different quarterbacks is particularly appealing.

He's demonstrated that he can develop elite rushing attacks, produce explosive passing games and adapt his offensive philosophy rather than remaining committed to a system that might no longer fit his personnel.

For a coach like Rhule, who's emphasized the importance of running the football, controlling the line of scrimmage and creating explosive plays, Kelly would seem to check an awful lot of boxes.

He's also one of the few candidates on this list who has extensive experience calling plays against Big Ten defenses. There wouldn't be nearly as much projection involved in determining whether he's prepared for the level of competition Nebraska faces.

There would likely be substantial obstacles to recruiting him away from Northwestern.

Kelly only arrived at Northwestern this year, and head coach David Braun recently received a contract extension through 2031. Kelly already has the opportunity to run his own offense in the Big Ten without the uncertainty surrounding Rhule's future.

His Northwestern compensation hasn't been publicly established, but he was making $6 million a year with the Raiders, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. His Raiders contract reportedly runs through 2027 with salary-offset provisions.

That makes it unlikely Nebraska could persuade him to come to Lincoln using financial incentives. They would have to lean on the Cornhusker gig being far more prestigious and the challenge of resurrecting a blue blood program. His ego may actually lend to him being interested in the job.

I have no idea whether he'd entertain leaving Northwestern after just one season. But given his experience, offensive philosophy and proven ability to call plays against Big Ten competition, I'd absolutely want to find out.