Chip Kelly’s time as offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders came to an unceremonious end on Sunday night. Kelly was fired by the Raiders’ head coach, Pete Carroll, just months after Kelly signed a deal that reportedly pays him $6 million per year.
That’s not chump change for Kelly at all. Now that Kelly is no longer in the NFL, speculation is running rampant about a potential return to the college football ranks.
Where Will Chip Kelly Land In CFB?
However, some feel his recent results will get in the way. The Raiders are 2-9 for the season and have only scored 165 total points, which ties them with the New Orleans Saints for the fewest points scored by an offense so far this season.
Kelly is receiving a lot of criticism for his time with the Raiders. Kelly was not able to get quarterback Geno Smith and the Raiders’ offense cooking at all.
“Something had to change. One of the saddest operations I’ve watched is that offense.” 😵💫@FourVerts and @Nate_Tice react to the Raiders firing OC Chip Kelly after Sunday’s loss to Cleveland.
(via Football 301) pic.twitter.com/7sEN6GkDls
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 24, 2025
When the Raiders dropped the news about Kelly’s firing on Sunday night, that set the whole college football world on fire.
Where might the former Oregon and UCLA head coach land? Kelly is probably waiting to hear his phone ring a lot.
One school that deserves some attention is Ole Miss. Right now, the school is waiting to see what current head coach Lane Kiffin will do. Plenty of headlines have circulated about Kiffin in recent days, stating he’s going to stay at Ole Miss or potentially flee for LSU or Florida.
If LSU and/or Florida don’t get Kiffin, then it’s possible that Kelly gets a call from those schools. LSU and Florida don’t want to go without a big-name coach walking along their sidelines. Kelly does have experience in the college ranks, so he’d know what might succeed at that level.
At the same time, Kelly might go back and rejoin Ryan Day’s staff at Ohio State. It’s possible that Day brings Kelly on board in some type of advisory role, adding yet another offensive mind to the Buckeyes’ staff. Kelly worked there as offensive coordinator before going to the Raiders, and it appears that he is still on good terms with Day.
Kelly, in fact, left UCLA to go join Day’s staff. When Day hired Kelly, he said at the time, “His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with Chip, introducing him to our staff and team and chasing a championship together.”
According to the PFSN CFB Offense Impact metrics, Ohio State’s impact score is 92.9 and grades out to an A-.
Another college program that might kick the tires around Kelly is Arkansas. The Razorbacks are currently led by interim coach Bobby Petrino, who, more than likely, will not be retained as Arkansas’ head coach before next season.
Also, keep an eye on Oregon State. The Beavers fired Trent Bray and have Robb Akey as the team’s interim head coach at this time.
So, there are college football head coaching jobs available for Kelly to pursue. It will be interesting to see where he lands, if he wants to get back into college football coaching with his $6 million-per-year contract in tow.
