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12/30 13:47 CST Chip Kelly lands new job as Northwestern's offensive coordinator after firing by Raiders Chip Kelly lands new job as Northwestern's offensive coordinator after firing by Raiders By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer Chip Kelly didn't have to wait long to land his next job. The former Oregon and Philadelphia Eagles coach was hired as Northwestern's offensive coordinator on Tuesday. The move comes on the heels of the Las Vegas Raiders firing Kelly as offensive coordinator late last month after just 11 games. But he has a history of overseeing explosive offenses, particularly at the college level. Kelly led Oregon to a 46-7 record and a national championship game appearance from 2009 to 2012 before spending four years as an NFL head coach --- three with Philadelphia and one with San Francisco. He returned to the college ranks as UCLA's coach from 2018-23, leading the Bruins to a 35--34 record. He was offensive coordinator at Ohio State under Ryan Day last year, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship. "This program and university are clearly on the rise, and the values of the people and this place align with my own," he said in a statement. "I am grateful for the opportunity. There is tremendous potential under Coach Braun's leadership, and I'm ready to contribute to this team." Kelly was the most prominent assistant hired by Pete Carroll in his first season as Las Vegas' coach after leading the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years. He reportedly received a $6 million contract, the highest for an NFL offensive coordinator. But he never lived up to the deal. Las Vegas' offense ranked among the NFL's worst when he was fired. "There was certainly an incredible amount of respect for the body of work that he's put together, whether it be in the NFL, his time at Oregon, time at UCLA, time at Ohio State," Northwestern coach David Braun said on a Zoom. "But through conversations and really getting to know him as a person and as a football mind, it was very evident to me that an opportunity to bring him on board and have him be a part of Northwestern football was something that could be an absolute game-changer for this program and specifically our offense here at Northwestern." In a statement, athletic director Mark Jackson called it "a seminal moment for our program." Jackson had a connection with Kelly through Carroll, having worked as an assistant coach on Carroll's staff with the New England Patriots and later as an administrator at USC during the football team's dominant run. "Mark's relationship with Chip probably put us in a position to start the conversation, to see if this is an opportunity that Chip would be interested in," Braun said. "Through those conversations --- countless conversations --- between Chip and I, it became very evident that this might be something that is of very strong mutual interest. The thing that excites me most about him coming onboard is, yes, his level of expertise, but also the level of passion that he has to get here and get to work and make this truly something special for Northwestern football going into the future." The Wildcats are 19-19 in three seasons under Braun. They went 7-6 this year and beat Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl even though the offense struggled. Kelly replaces Zach Lujan, who spent two years as coordinator. With the transfer portal opening Friday, Braun said it was "absolutely critical" to have the position filled. Northwestern is set to move into a new stadium next season after playing home games the past two years at a temporary lakefront facility and at Wrigley Field. Without the new Ryan Field, Braun doesn't think he lands Kelly. "We talked about converging timing," Braun said. "The converging timing is moving into a new Ryan Field in 2026, House settlement and a new landscape of college football, a program that is on the rise and an opportunity for us to really establish a new era of Northwestern football in the best football stadium in the world. For me to say that that isn't a contributing factor to all this isn't true. I think it absolutely is a factor." ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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