Ohio State Buckeyes' Chip Kelly Hired by Las Vegas Raiders, NFL Return

Former Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly is making his way back to the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders after winning a College Football Playoff National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes as the offensive coordinator to Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. Kelly joins Raiders coach Pete Carroll in the same role.

Jan 3, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly at press conference after the 2013 Fiesta Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium. Oregon defeated Kansas 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly is headed back west as he makes a return to the NFL ranks.

Per reports Sunday from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Las Vegas Raiders are hiring Kelly as their offensive coordinator. He helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to a dominant National Championship run in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff this past season. Kelly was previously Oregon's offensive coordinator in 2007 and '08 before becoming the program's head coach for four years.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Buckeyes have lost both head coordinators, as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles also left Ohio State to take the same role with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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This will mark the third NFL team that Kelly has been a part of. Prior to his six-year stint as the coach of the UCLA Bruins from 2018 to '23, he coached the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15) and the San Francisco 49ers (2016). Kelly has a 28-35 record in the NFL as a head coach.

Kelly's time at Oregon was nothing short of impressive. He finished with a 46-7 record across four seasons, which included two trips to the Rose Bowl, a Fiesta Bowl win, an a runner-up finish in the 2010 BCS National Championship. The Ducks lost a 22-19 heartbreaker to the No. 1 Auburn Tigers, who were led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton.

Kelly coached Oregon legends like quarterback Marcus Mariota -- who won a Heisman Trophy -- and running back LeGarrette Blount during his time with the Ducks.

Jan. 3, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly smiles on the field after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Ducks defeated the Wildcats 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images / Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

Kelly took a bit of a shot toward the Ducks and Oregon coach Dan Lanning prior to winning the National Championship over Notre Dame. He told reporters how the Buckeyes coaches used the intentional 12-man penalty Oregon utilized in its 32-31 win over Ohio State on Oct. 12 as motivation for the Ohio State players.

"It was a unique message to our players, that you can't stop us with 11," Kelly said."You had to stop us with 12. And then you saw the final result of 11 vs. 11."

Of course, the Buckeyes got the last laugh with a resounding 41-21 win over Oregon in the CFP Semifinals at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. The Buckeyes had previously beat Tennessee 42-17 in the first round. They followed up their win over Oregon with a 28-14 victory vs. the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl before the 34-23 win over Notre Dame to secure the title.

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