Jerry Neuheisel Leaves UCLA to Join Northwestern Staff Under Chip Kelly

For Jerry Neuheisel, football has always felt personal. Born at the UCLA Medical Center and raised near the Rose Bowl, his life and career have been tightly woven into the fabric of UCLA football. From quarterback to coach, Neuheisel’s rise in Westwood felt like a story that would never leave Los Angeles. That changed in January 2026, when he officially joined Northwestern as the Wildcats’ new quarterbacks coach.

Jerry Neuheisel Reuniting With Chip Kelly in Evanston

The move marks a major addition to Northwestern’s coaching staff. It also brings Neuheisel back under the guidance of Chip Kelly.

Welcome to Northwestern Football, Jerry Neuheisel!

Neuheisel joins the staff as Quarterbacks Coach after eight seasons at UCLA, most recently as an offensive playcaller. pic.twitter.com/QGBK2yxDNl
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) January 3, 2026

Now the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator, after being fired late last season from the same role with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. For Neuheisel, the decision was not about walking away from UCLA. However, he is about reconnecting with the coaching tree that helped shape his rapid climb.

Kelly first brought him onto the UCLA staff as a graduate assistant in 2018 before promoting him to wide receivers coach in 2021. Neuheisel arrives at Northwestern after eight seasons at UCLA. It was a stretch that saw his responsibilities grow steadily.

In December 2024, he was promoted to assistant head coach. Four games into the 2025 season, following the departures of head coach DeShaun Foster and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, Neuheisel assumed offensive playcalling duties.

When Neuheisel took control of the offense after a 0–4 start, the impact was immediate. In his first game calling plays, UCLA stunned then No. 7 Penn State with a 42–37 victory at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4. The win carried historic weight, marking UCLA’s first victory over an AP top-10 opponent since 2010. It's the first time since 1985 that a team starting 0–4 or worse defeated a top-10 opponent.

A Track Record of Offensive Development

At just 33 years old, Neuheisel was carried off the field by his players. It was a moment that mirrored his own playing days in 2014. It was when he came off the bench to lead UCLA to a comeback road win over Texas, capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton.

Under Neuheisel’s direction, UCLA rolled off a three-game Big Ten winning streak, defeating Penn State, Michigan State, and Maryland while averaging 33.3 points per game.

Neuheisel’s resume is built on sustained player development, not just one memorable run. In 2021, he was named to 247Sports' "30 Under 30" list. It highlights him as one of the nation’s top young coaches. From 2021 through 2023, while serving as wide receivers coach, UCLA’s offense surpassed 500 yards per game for the first time in program history.

In 2024, as tight ends coach, Neuheisel guided Moliki Matavao through a breakout year. His path also includes time as an offensive quality control coach at Texas A&M. And also a professional playing career with the Obic Seagulls of Japan’s X League, where he helped lead the team to the Japan X Bowl in 2016.

His father, Rick Neuheisel, built a celebrated coaching career at Colorado, Washington, UCLA, and, most recently, with the Dallas Renegades of the United Football League.

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