Chip Kelly contract: UCLA’s sixth-year coach extended after leading best season in nearly a decade

UCLA has agreed to a contract extension with Chip Kelly that will keep the sixth-year coach with the Bruins until 2027, the university said Friday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“I am delighted with our football program under Coach Kelly and his talented staff,” said Athletic Director Martin Jarmond. “The football program is on the rise both on the field and in the classroom. Coach Kelly and his staff have done a great job of developing young people, as evidenced by their academic excellence.”

Kelly, 59, is 27-29 for five seasons leading the Bruins but ends his best season ever, which ended 9-4 and won the Sun Bowl, finishing 21st in the final AP Top 25 (first in program since 2014). Kelly, who is widely regarded as one of the top innovators in college football’s offensive spread, helped the Bruins to 503.6 yards per game and 7.01 yards per game, both of which are in the top five in the country. The Bruins finished eighth in the nation in offensive scoring with 39.2 points per game.

In 2021, Kelly posted an 8-4 record for a Holiday Bowl berth that was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

UCLA believed Kelly, despite the fateful beginning of the marriage. semi-hot seat Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. Kelly handled that pressure well thanks to seasoned quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and an all-around rushing offense that not only got the Bruins out of control, but also gave the Bruins hope for the future.

Looking ahead, UCLA will move into the Big Ten in 2024 with stability for the first time in almost a decade. Does this mean the Bruins will have a chance to make a splash in their new home? This remains to be seen. However, the news that Kelly will launch his pioneering assault on the Midwest will make this transition all the more intriguing.