The biggest winner of Civil War Weekend may have been Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s résumé. It’s pretty hard to top accumulating a school-record 694 yards and 65 points against the Oregon State Beavers, who had never allowed that many points in even their most futile years. Oh, and this all came in the midst of a blowout victory in Corvallis that may have helped establish Oregon as the dominant football power in the state, and the Pacific Northwest by default, in the most vitriolic and, quite arguably, most important Civil War contest ever. Pretty hard to top that.
And yes, Kelly is expected to interview for the head coaching position at Syracuse, where outgoing despot Greg Robinson set a new standard for ineptitude in major college football. The Orange went 10-36 (3-25 Big East Conference) in Robinson’s four years, including a 3-9 finish (1-6 Big East) this year – with one of those wins coming against Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., two days after Robinson was announced fired. Someone give this man a medal.
Kelly’s Syracuse interview story was, understandably, drowned out in a sea of eye-popping offensive numbers, including records for total yards in a season and rushing touchdowns by a single player (LeGarrette Blount). Those discussions – along with the ecstasy from a Civil War win for the ages – will eventually subside, and the discussion about retaining Kelly will pick up. Make no mistake: He will have plenty of suitors willing to throw a head coaching gig and a sizable raise at him. He’s a hot hand and, in the eyes of many athletic directors, an attainable commodity.
Fans have been clamoring for Oregon to follow the newest national trend: Name Kelly the head coach-in-waiting. That has happened at several schools, but the two highest-profile examples are Florida State (where offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher has been picked to succeed Bobby Bowden) and Texas (where defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, an attractive candidate for many coaching jobs, was locked up as Mack Brown’s eventual successor). With the Ducks, the progression seems natural; offensive coordinator Mike Bellotti succeeded Rich Brooks as coach, and it’s only fitting that Kelly follow Bellotti.
That all said, naming Chip Kelly head coach-in-waiting at Oregon is a stupid idea and I cannot condone it.
It’s the college football equivalent of a promise ring. That title says to the assistant who receives it, “When our main man here steps down, or gets fired eventually, or dies, we’ll just plug you right in.” (This especially falls short with Jimbo Fisher at FSU; Bobby Bowden may or may not be immortal, and the chances he goes somewhere else to coach are laughable and virtually nil.) Locking in a talented assistant based on a non-existent time frame cannot end well.
It’s a bit much to hamstring the man deemed the next head coach, especially on the off-chance that things go south. A worst-case scenario is completely realizable: The school in question must suffer the NCAA’s Death Penalty because of major rules violations, and the football program is disbanded, leaving the new head coach (no team would think of retaining the old one) to pick up the slack. The school can use this glorified handshake-deal against the assistant, preventing him from accepting interview requests or better-paying jobs should he decide against his original school.
No one knows whether Brown or Bowden will retire next year, five years from now, 10 or even 20 years from now. Circumstances change. Murphy’s Law takes effect. The coaching landscape could look greatly different by the offseason. And this barely acknowledges the unyielding influence of the NFL on college coaches – Bobby Petrino and Nick Saban, anyone?
Chip Kelly has done an impeccable job managing the offense of the Oregon football team in his two-year tenure. His performance against the Beavers on Saturday was a capstone that still has emotions running high and record books rewritten. He is a great assistant coach and his intelligence and malleability suggest that he would make a great head coach.
Don’t insult his contributions by saddling him with a flimsy title that brings forth a false sense of security. Give Kelly a raise and let him know how much his contributions are appreciated. Bellotti does not appear ready to relinquish his head coaching position, and though it would be favorable for Kelly to succeed him, that’s one bridge I’m all too happy to cross if we ever come to that point.
ROBERT HUSSEMAN
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