Chip Kelly may be open to hearing a pitch from UCLA before deciding on his next job.
Florida intensified its efforts to hire Chip Kelly and met with the coach on Sunday, but they =were unable to seal the deal.
Here’s what the Gainesville Sun’s Robbie Andreu reported on Sunday night:
The Sun has confirmed that six UAA members flew to New Hampshire on Sunday to meet with Chip Kelly. The UAA members are returning to Florida without Kelly tonight.
— Robbie Andreu (@RobbieAndreu) November 20, 2017
According to a source, Kelly and UF have not reached any kind of agreement. The source said Kelly wants to talk to UCLA, which fired Jim Mora on Sunday.
— Robbie Andreu (@RobbieAndreu) November 20, 2017
That news comes amid some rumors that Kelly was set to take the Florida job.
Another report later said the Bruins will meet with the free agent coach on Monday. Football Scoop also reported that Kelly met with Florida on Sunday and did not agree to a deal with the Gators. They say he will meet with UCLA representatives on Monday.
Kelly, 53, has taken the season off from coaching after being fired by the 49ers following his only year on the job. He still is being paid by the Niners thanks to his 4-year contract. Most believe that UCLA would not have the finances to compete with Florida on a coaching offer, but it seems they are in contention for the coach. It’s unclear if money from the 49ers for the next two years could help make a difference in offsetting pay.
Though Kelly is from the Northeast, he already proved at Oregon that he could win big in the Pac-12, which could make the UCLA job appealing to him. He has never coached in the SEC.
