By Rock Westfall
UCLA is reportedly going to fire coach Chip Kelly after Saturday’s USC game.
A Devil of a Time for Kelly’s Zeroes
What a rotten way to do business, especially for a university with such a high opinion of itself. Four days before its biggest game of the season, UCLA allowed news to leak that Chip Kelly was likely to be fired after Saturday’s annual rivalry game against the USC Trojans.
The last straw to a disappointing season was a 17-7 home loss to Arizona State. UCLA (6-4, 3-4) showed a lack of preparation, fight, enthusiasm, and offense in the loss to one of the worst teams in the Pac-12. Arizona State (3-7, 2-5) is rebuilding under rookie head coach Kenny Dillingham. The loss was a body blow to the prestige of the UCLA program and Kelly’s coaching credibility.
Unrealistic Expectations?
Last year was Chip Kelly’s best in Westwood. UCLA finished 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12, with a final CFP ranking of 18th. Also, the Bruins’ final AP ranking was 21st after reaching an earlier peak of 9th. However, the campaign ended in a thud with three losses in the final four games, including 48-45 to the rival Trojans and 37-35 in the Sun Bowl against Pitt.
The superstar tandem of QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (157.4 QBR, 27/10 TD/INT, 8.5 YPA, 645 YR, 5.5 YPC, 12 TD) and RB Zach Charbonnet (1359 YR, 7.0 YPC, 14 TD) powered the season. But 2022 was the final campaign in Westwood for both players, who have proven impossible to replace in one year.
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Fans were warned a step-back 2023 campaign was possible. A defense that returned eight starters has been the asset of the team in 2023, ranking 10th in the nation overall and for points allowed. But freshman QB Dante Moore (127.4 QBR, 10/7 TD/INT, 7.7 YPA) has struggled with his on-the-job training. Moore has played sparingly in the past three games. Replacing Thompson-Robinson was an impossible ask for the rookie, and it shows. But in time, Moore could become a top QB.
Still, there are bigger problems at UCLA than a new offensive lineup and QB.
https://twitter.com/DougTammaro/status/1724157892792881370
The Ultimate Ironies
Chip Kelly became the rookie head coach of the Oregon Ducks in 2009. He wasted no time coaching Oregon up into a perennial top-10 program. In 2010, the Ducks lost the national championship game to Auburn. Oregon posted final national rankings of 3rd in 2010, 4th in 2011, and 2nd in 2012. Kelly became the hottest property on the coaching carousel and bolted for the Philadelphia Eagles. He bequeathed a national power to his successor, Mark Helfrich, who led the Ducks to a 2014 national championship game loss to Ohio State.
Chip Kelly’s offenses at Oregon were the most ferocious and terrifying ever seen. He could have hung a hundred on opponents numerous times had he not called off the dogs. Oregon football was the most exciting show in college football, and it wasn’t even close. Even fans who hated Oregon’s gaudy, tacky, and often hideous uniform sets could not turn away; the product was that good.
In those days, Oregon was loaded with elite talent. No team in college football boasted such skill. The ultimate irony of that is Chip Kelly loathes recruiting. He always has and always will. Kelly is a gruff northeasterner with a lack of warmth and people skills. For Kelly, joy comes from watching a game video, whiteboarding, and scheming in his dark coaching bunker.
But at Nike-powered Oregon, Kelly had a middle/bag man named Will Lyles who handled much of the heavy lifting for Kelly. Remember, that era was pre-NIL. Chip was busted with an 18-month show cause penalty as he departed for Philly. He left college football labeled as a dirty cheater, but one expected to stay in the NFL for the rest of his career.
It’s All Equal in The League
Kelly started well in the NFL with back-to-back records of 10-6. But after acing out Howie Roseman for full control of football operations, Kelly destroyed himself with poor trades and was fired after a 6-9 start in 2015.
Next came a season from hell with the San Francisco 49ers. After winning the season opener 28-0 over the Rams, the 49ers lost 13 consecutive games. Kelly finished 2-14 and was fired.
Although Kelly loved the NFL for being only about football and without recruiting and academic issues, he learned a humbling lesson on how difficult it is to outsmart pro coaches. Everyone gets the bag in The League, so gaining advantages like he enjoyed at Oregon was impossible. Kelly learned he was just another football coach.
Oregon Magic was Never Bruin in Westwood
After a year with ESPN, Kelly took the UCLA job. He was greeted with plenty of excitement and anticipation. But without a bagman fronting the recruiting efforts, and with NIL becoming an accepted part of college football, Kelly never put together an Oregon-type program. He was deliberately methodical and distant with his recruiting and wasted no time with marginal academic players.
Kelly said, perhaps correctly, that he would not invest efforts with players that could potentially struggle with UCLA’s high academic standards. While that was a smart and efficient use of time, it doomed Kelly from ever recreating what he had at Oregon, which is what fans expected.
Bruin Nation became disillusioned and ultimately bored with Kelly’s methodical approach. In his first three seasons, Kelly posted records of 3-9, 4-8, and 3-4. Finally, there was a mild breakthrough of 8-4 in 2021, followed by a 9-4 mark in 2022. But UCLA was never a serious national threat.
Equally important, the Bruins were not exciting. There was no entertainment value in a hometown built on it. Watching UCLA football was like viewing an assembly line toil.
Kelly’s standoffish personality did not convert or motivate fans to make the long trek out to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for home games. Crowd shots of UCLA games are usually an embarrassment. Kelly is no salesman, and it shows. The atmosphere of his UCLA program is sterile and antiseptic. There is no joy or connection with fans or players. It’s all business. But it’s not all Kelly’s fault.
https://twitter.com/camthomascowger/status/1422602499932909575
Haughty UCLA a Perfect Cultural Fit for the Big Ten
UCLA has an exceptionally inflated opinion of itself. Like the University of Michigan, it brags about being one of the top public universities in America. That makes UCLA a perfect fit for its 2024 move to the arrogant Big Ten Conference. But, unlike Michigan, football is not a priority at UCLA.
Once upon a time, the Bruins were a perennial national power. Starting in 1965 under Tommy Prothro and followed by Pepper Rodgers, Dick Vermeil, and Terry Donahue, UCLA was a perennial top-10 contender and annual bowl participant. But after final national rankings of 5th in 1997 and 8th in 1998, the program slid into mediocrity. Only Jim Mora Jr. produced a final top-10 national ranking (10th 2014) in the past 25 seasons.
CBS and Sirius-XM commentator Rick Neuheisel went to UCLA, where he was a Rose Bowl-winning QB and head coach (2008-2011). As much as he loves his school, he often remarks about its lack of commitment to championship football. UCLA’s problem is more institutional than Chip Kelly’s. And the next coach had better be aware of that going in.
