Seemingly no matter what time of year, the never-ending college football coaching carousel continues to spin.
Just as the dust began to settle after the domino effect that followed Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama, Boston College’s Jeff Hafley kicked off another wave of coaching movement.
Hafley left to become the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, and newly hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was brought in to replace him.
Now, another Power Five job appears to be opening as UCLA’s Chip Kelly is expected to leave his position to become the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator, as was first reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Kelly was rumored to be on the hot seat at the end of 2023, but an upset win over USC likely saved his job. Still, he was apparently looking for greener pastures and was reportedly in the mix for several NFL offensive coordinator jobs.
BREAKING: UCLA’s Chip Kelly is expected to become the new OC at Ohio State, per source. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day played for Kelly at UNH and later coached with him at three stops. https://t.co/PDDOB76rDq
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 9, 2024
He has now found his soft landing spot, and he’ll leave Los Angeles behind with a 35-34 record in a six-year tenure that was headlined by a 9-4 finish in 2022.
Now, as the Bruins embark on a coaching search very late in the cycle, here are eight names that could be in the mix for this job, including another sitting Big Ten head coach.