Chip Kelly Immediately Linked to Sudden Big Ten HC Job Opening

Unlike last year when the dominoes fell on Sept. 14 when the UCLA Bruins fired DeShaun Foster, it took until Wednesday for the Big Ten to have a head coach fired.

Despite Mike Locksley making a move to fire Ted Monachino on Sunday at the start of Maryland's bye week, the Terrapins fired Locksley on Wednesday amid the program's five-game losing streak. Per a statement by UM, co-defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Not long after Maryland announced its decision to fire Locksley, Pete Nakos of On3 named Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as a potential candidate for the Terrapins. Northwestern ranks No. 43 in total offense in college football this season. The No. 24 Wildcats are 5-1 under fourth-year head coach David Braun.

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Kelly has held four different jobs in the past four seasons. He won the national championship as the offensive coordinator for Ohio State in 2024. He left Ohio State to become the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.

Kelly has extensive head coaching experience, including in the NFL where he went 28-35 during his stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Kelly went 46-7 during his four years with Oregon from 2009 to 2012, and took the Ducks to a national championship appearance in 2010. Kelly was most recently a head coach at UCLA, where he went 35-34 in six seasons with the Bruins. During his stints with UCLA and Oregon, both West Coast programs competed in the Pac-12. Those schools are now a part of the Big Ten.

Kelly, 62, is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. He did an incredible job with the Buckeyes in 2024 and has helped turnaround Northwestern this season. He could be a big-name hire for Maryland to replace Locksley.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.