Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
EUGENE, Ore. — Chip Kelly has agreed to be the 21st head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly has been in and out of rumors to be a head coach in the NFL since winning the Fiesta Bowl against Kansas State.
Just a few weeks ago, Kelly pulled his name out of the numerous head coaching searches saying he wanted to go remain at Oregon. He had interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles prior to making his decision to stay with the Ducks earlier this month.
Something must have changed quickly and Kelly must have loved what he heard from Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie because Kelly is the new head coach of the Eagles. The Eagles released this statement from Lurie about his new hire, "Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles," said Lurie.
(Chip) has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team.
–Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie
"He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team." (Philadelphiaeagles.com)
So what does this mean for the Pac-12 and the Utah Utes?
Oregon has been one of the most explosive and exciting teams in the Pac-12. Kelly has a 46-7 record and has been to a BCS game each of the past four seasons and ranked in the top five to finish the season for the third consecutive year.
The Utes last played the Ducks September 19, 2009 at Autzen Stadium and lost 31-24. Utah now has Oregon on the Pac-12 schedule for the first time this season on November 16th in Eugene.
Utah can expect a similar offense from Oregon as it is expected that Mark Helfrich will take over for the Ducks. Helfrich has been the offensive coordinator at Oregon and has worked at Boise State, Arizona State, and Colorado.
