Northwestern Hires Chip Kelly

When college football at Northwestern is thought of, an open offense is usually not one of the first things that comes to mind. That will now change with the news emerging on Tuesday morning that the Wildcats had hired Chip Kelly as their new offensive coordinator.

First announced by Pete Thamel of ESPN, Kelly brings plenty of experience and success to Evanston. He is currently the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator but has previously been the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, and at the collegiate level at Oregon and UCLA. He was also the offensive coordinator at Ohio State during their National Championship 2024 season.

This is a strong move by Northwestern, which is opening a new football stadium for the 2026 season. The Wildcats have historically been known as a team with a solid, gritty defense, which is what has kept them competitive in the Big Ten. Now they hope to excite the fanbase further by providing an exciting offense in their new stadium.

This news also makes Northwestern an interesting new quarterback buyer in the transfer portal. Selling a Chip Kelly offense will make the process much easier for the Wildcats.

While nobody should expect an air raid offense in Evanston, a move like this suddenly makes Northwestern relevant in the Big Ten.