The UCLA football program hired Chip Kelly to replace Jim Mora on Saturday, and there is a lot of excitement in Los Angeles surrounding the move.
It’s a pretty hefty deal, worth $23.3 million over five years, with a $9 million reciprocal buyout should things not work out, per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
Formal UCLA announcement: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero has named former NFL and college head coach Chip Kelly as the Bruins’ 17th head football coach. Kelly agreed to a five-year contract worth $23.3M with a $9M reciprocal buyout.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 25, 2017
One of the big questions remaining now for the Bruins is whether quarterback Josh Rosen will declare for the 2018 NFL Draft (he should) or returns to campus for his senior campaign.
Most believe Rosen is all but gone.
😭 Josh Rosen and Chip Kelly would be a match made in heaven but I assume Rosen is as good as gone. https://t.co/aFlLCDWMM4
— Steve Frederick (@_SteveFrederick) November 25, 2017
Would love to see Josh Rosen run Chip Kelly’s offense but I know we’ll never see it.
— Casey Keirnan (@CaseyKeirnan) November 25, 2017
Even if Rosen isn’t there in 2018, we can be sure the Bruins will be fun to watch. Kelly engineered one of the most potent offenses in the nation during his four years with Oregon, leading the Ducks to a BCS Championship Game in the process.
There are mixed reactions to this hire, however. Many are stuck on Kelly’s recent history in the NFL, while others recognize the college game is much different.
https://twitter.com/Drpeppersony/status/934493202010312704
The worst case scenario would be that UCLA gets the Chip Kelly that went 2-14 with the 49ers instead of the 46-7 Kelly in 4 yrs. @ Oregon…
— Wizard Of Westside (@kergarin) November 25, 2017
Cannot understand that hate for Chip Kelly. Dude shined and made a region relevant. Took em to a title game. 20-12 first two years in Philly. Then 2 subpar yrs. Dude has the juice, especially in LA. #duh
— Algernon Smith, M.Ed (@professorsmith2) November 25, 2017
I think people who are ripping the Chip Kelly hire forget how the college game is played. Spread it out and play advantages. It will take time, but he'll be successful there.
— Rob Neumann (@rcneuma2) November 25, 2017
Here are some of the more amusing takes we saw.
Breaking news
All Pac-12 teams decide to move to Mountain West Conf. Saban decides to retire. Meyers announces he’ll quit at halftime. #ChipKelly just won the national championship.
— uscuscgo (@uscuscgo) November 25, 2017
UCLA conditioning for Chip Kelly's offense pic.twitter.com/RyEwEY92kS
— YourSports (@YourSports) November 25, 2017
The Peristyle has Chip Kelly winning 7-20 national titles at #UCLA. In fact, I believe some of those championships are retroactive. It’s called the Gruden Effect. Two champions for every year you don’t coach. 😏
— Gerard Martinez (@gmartlive) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/ChrisLaw/status/934465368222875648
We can’t wait to see what happens in the coming years now that Kelly is in charge of UCLA’s football program. He’s definitely got the goods when it comes to innovative offensive schemes, and he’ll have a wealth of talent to choose from in California when it comes to recruiting.
Game on!
