UCLA football: 3 candidates to replace Chip Kelly as head coach

I bet UCLA football fans never expected to have to deal with a head coaching change in February just two days after National Signing Day, but here we are.

Just six seasons into the Chip Kelly era, the veteran head coach decided to step down from the position on Friday, telling his team that he would be taking another job. It's been reported that the other job won't be a head coaching position nor will it be in the NFL but rather an offensive coordinator job with Ohio State. Yes, just a wild move.

Now that UCLA's head coaching job is open, who could replace Kelly?

3. Tom Herman, FAU head coach

You might be wondering why Tom Herman is on this list after going just 4-8 in his first year with FAU which was his first job since getting fired from Texas back in 2020 but he has been mentioned as a candidate in numerous openings this offseason.

Believe it or not, Herman is still a respected name in the coaching ranks.

After getting fired from Texas, Herman spent a year in the NFL as the Chicago Bears' offensive analyst before taking 2022 off and returning to the college ranks with FAU in 2023. He's just getting back into the swing of things so maybe waiting a year or two before a Power Four school decides to hire him would be wiser, but Herman knows how to run a major program.

Plus, Herman is from California so it's not like he's unfamiliar with the area and he coached at Ohio State under Urban Meyer before taking the Houston job so he knows the conference.

This wouldn't be a home run, but it could be a sneaky-good hire for the Bruins.