Report: Chip Kelly reached agreement with Florida, has window to back out

Chip Kelly has already reached an agreement to become the next head coach of the Florida Gators, but the deal he has in place allows him to explore other options for a short time. That’s what one report is claiming, at least.

Sports attorney Darren Heitner, who graduated from the University of Florida, reported on Wednesday that Kelly signed an agreement with Florida on Sunday. However, he apparently has a window where he can back out of the deal.

Sources: Chip verbally agreed to Florida before South Carolina game & Florida has been vetting dozens of assistant candidates.

Chip signed an agreement with Florida on Sunday. Agreement includes window for Chip to back out of deal. Hence UCLA talks.

Reporting w/@biggamejames36

— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) November 22, 2017

That seems a bit unusual, but it would help explain why a bunch of Florida players tweeted the exact same reaction on Sunday amid rumors that Kelly had agreed to become the next coach of the Gators. It certainly seemed like something had happened at that point.

Kelly has already met with officials from UCLA, and George Schroeder of USA Today reports that he turned down an offer from Tennessee. Believe it or not, Schroeder was told that UCLA’s association with Under Armour could be a potential issue for Kelly, who is close with Nike founder Phil Knight. The report also states that Kelly is intrigued by a potential coaching vacancy at Arizona State, where Todd Graham is believed to be on the hot seat.

Kelly went 46-7 in his four seasons at Oregon and took the team to a national championship game, so you can understand why he has so many offers from top programs. He should be able to instantly bring top recruits to any of the aforementioned schools, which is why teams are pushing to get a deal done before the early signing period in December.