Florida Football: Is Chip Kelly a good fit for the Gators?

Chip Kelly fits best at UCLA

Chip Kelly’s best fit is at UCLA. This keeps him on the west coast, and recruiting southern California where he has a name and foothold. He’s coached in the Pac 12 and knows the other coaches, the culture of the recruiting areas, and the expectations of the conference.

This also gives him a pipeline of pro quality quarterbacks to work with as the So Cal area has been known for producing arm talent like Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold of late, but many other California arms as well. The Miami Hurricanes pulled two of their most dominant quarterbacks from the state although decades apart in Gino Torretta (two national titles) and Ken Dorsey (one national title).

Kelly also can keep himself in a high profile city like Los Angeles, Calif. This keeps his profile up and keeps him in the spotlight and big city, which Gainesville cannot claim. The TV market, the connection to the Fox Network in LA, specifically, and the Pac-12 Network headquarters being located in San Francisco is a far trip but still in-state.

It also puts Kelly in a renown stadium, the Rose Bowl, and in a pro town. Los Angeles obviously hosts multiple Major League Baseball teams, NBA teams, plus the NHL and NFL. With today’s market it keeps him close to Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas which has been a college football pipeline for the past decade, as well.

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It’s not like UCLA is devoid of talent either. Jim Mora was able to have two 10-win seasons in Hollywood just a couple of years ago. The Chip Kelly name and excitement that it would bring, added into the Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego recruiting areas, and the TV markets makes this a perfect fit for a high profile marriage between him and UCLA.