With thanks to an upsetting reallocation of financial resources, Oregon Ducks coach Mario Cristobal is expected to take over for the Miami Hurricanes.
That also means Manny Diaz is out at the University of Miami. As a consequence of the game of musical chairs played by collegiate athletic departments, the University of Oregon will soon have to hire its fourth football coach since Chip Kelly left the program for a brief tenure in the NFL starting in 2012.
After failing to live up to expectations with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, Kelly made his return to college football — and the Pac-12 — when he took over as head coach for UCLA Bruins back in 2018.
Especially after an awkward conversation with a reporter last week, Kelly’s future at UCLA is also as uncertain as ever. Kelly has a buyout at $9 million through Jan. 15, per reports, but that drops to $0 the following day.
Considering the success that Kelly had at Oregon, it’s no surprise that fans are clamoring for a potential reunion for Kelly to resolve what was left of his unfinished business in Eugene.