USC Football Rumors: Chip Kelly as Head Coach Seems Unlikely

Shortly after Steve Sarkisian was relieved of his duties as the USC Trojans‘ head football coach, current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was mentioned as a potential replacement. The Eagles are in the middle of a disappointing 2015 campaign, and could choose to cut Kelly loose if he can’t right the ship before season’s end.

On @MikeAndMike, @finebaum just said he believes the two leading candidates for the USC HC job will be Chip Kelly and Kevin Sumlin.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2015

Kelly is the former head coach of the Oregon Ducks, helping turn the Pac-12 program into an annual contender before taking his talents to the NFL. Many experts, however, believe his coaching style and scheme don’t fit in the NFL, which has led to speculation on his potential firing and return to the college ranks.

However, on Thursday, Kelly attempted to dispel the rumors of his move to USC, stating that he hasn’t heard from the school about their head coaching job and showing irritation towards the thought of him dropping back down to college football. Although his words will quiet the rumors for the time being, that doesn’t mean the possibility of Kelly as the Trojans’ new leader is completely dead.

Kelly is clearly focused on helping the Eagles win right now, still trying to prove that his approach can work in the pros. However, if the Eagles were to let him go, Kelly may consider a return to college football, which clearly treated him better than the NFL has up to this point. Still, until the Eagles fall apart, there’s little reason to believe Kelly will follow in Jim Harbaugh‘s shoes.

The potential is there, but for right now, it’s little more than connecting dots. We’ll see how the Eagles’ 2015 campaign comes along, and go from there.