UCLA Football: Ex-Bruins Head Coach Chip Kelly Earning Huge Salary With OSU
Former UCLA football head coach Chip Kelly is no longer a college football head coach, but he is still making a hefty salary as a college football offensive coordinator. Kelly, who left the Bruins this offseason to become Ohio State football's new OC, is set to make $2 million for the 2024 season. He will then make $2.1 million in 2025 and $2.2 million for 2026, via The Athletic's Cameron Teague-Robinson.
While this is a huge salary for an assistant coach, it appears to be the norm at Ohio State, where defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is making $2.2 million.
This is still a significant drop-off in salary from what Kelly earned at UCLA, where he raked in nearly $5.98 million in 2023, his sixth season coaching the Bruins. During that campaign, the Bruins recorded an 8-5 overall record, but just a 4-5 conference record.
The Bruins had previously extended Kelly in March of 2023 after the Bruins went 9-4 under Kelly in 2022. Had Kelly remained with the Bruins, he would have gone on to make upwards of $6 million. While Kelly did not have the success UCLA imagined during his tenure, he did come in with a resumé as a former NFL head coach and a great coach for Oregon, which made his pricetag higher.
In comparison, new UCLA head football coach DeShaun Foster is set to earn $3 million in his first year at UCLA. Foster's contract is set to increase by $100,000 every year, and he can also earn more through incentives. If Foster leads the Bruins to success, it would be unsurprising to see him earn an extension in the future.
