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College Football: Grading every new Power Five head coach in 2018

By John Mitchell

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Scott Frost of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watches late game action against the Troy Trojans at Memorial Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Scott Frost of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watches late game action against the Troy Trojans at Memorial Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

8. Chip Kelly – UCLA

  • Record: 1-5 (1-2)
  • Grade: C

Chip Kelly was one of the more ballyhooed coaching hires this season, and much like Scott Frost, has struggled to gain traction in his first season with his new team.

Kelly was once one of the premier head coaches in college football during his time at Oregon due to an innovative offensive system that almost everyone draws inspiration from nowadays. Kelly led Oregon to a 46-7 mark from 2009-2012 leading them to three PAC-12 championships and four consecutive BCS bowl games. The Ducks finished in the top four three times, coming up just short of a national title in 2010.

Kelly left Eugene to try his hand at the NFL, but failed coaching stops in Philadelphia and San Francisco led to Kelly’s return to the college sideline. UCLA and Kelly seemed like a perfect match with the fertile recruiting grounds of Los Angeles. It’s possible that he will still build the behemoth in Westwood that so many envisioned, but he’s gotten off to a slower start than most imagined.

UCLA’s offensive struggles have been surprising with Kelly’s offensive pedigree. The Bruins rank 115th in the nation in yards-per-game. UCLA may have figured some things out last week, however, scoring 30+ points for the first time this season and earning their first victory in the process with a 37-7 win over Cal.

A bowl game seems unlikely at this point with UCLA’s remaining schedule, but if they could eek out two or three more wins that would go a long way toward restoring some confidence in the Kelly regime. He’ll also need to get it moving on the recruiting trail as the Bruins are off to a slow start in the 2019 cycle.

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