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UCLA Football: Will Chip Kelly take the head coaching job?

By Michael Hanna

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-20. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers reacts to a play during the third quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawksat CenturyLink Field on September 25, 2016 in Seattle,Washington. The Seahawks won the game 37-18. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers reacts to a play during the third quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawksat CenturyLink Field on September 25, 2016 in Seattle,Washington. The Seahawks won the game 37-18. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

The Verdict

This is such a natural fit between coach and school that it would be a shame if it didn’t come together. That being said, as previously discussed, there are a lot of factors working in UCLA’s favor in pursuing Chip Kelly.

The ultimate question is this: how fully is UCLA willing to commit itself to winning at the highest levels of college football? If it can show Kelly true ambition in the form of financial backing for the coach, his assistants, and his backend initiatives, then UCLA should be able to land Kelly. If they give him any reason to think Florida will put him in a better position to succeed, then he’s going to be coaching the Gators next year.

Next: UCLA Football: Jim Mora's Time At UCLA Had Run Its Course

UCLA’s history says it will flame out in another big coach hunt and, after a mad scramble, end up with a never-been or retread whose main qualification is wanting the job enough to agree to whatever UCLA offers; the decisive move to fire and buyout Jim Mora before the season ended in order to take a swing at Chip Kelly says that UCLA has heretofore-unseen confidence in its pitch to the biggest name available on the market. It only makes sense to lean towards history in these kinds of situations, but here’s hoping common sense rules the day and both UCLA and Chip Kelly realize they can use each other to make true magic happen at the Rose Bowl.