David Braun often has stated that his goal for the Northwestern football program is to contend in the Big Ten and College Football Playoff. On Tuesday, he announced what he called “a bold, aggressive action” he believes will get the Wildcats closer to those aspirations.
Northwestern announced it has hired longtime college and NFL coach Chip Kelly to be the offensive coordinator on Braun’s staff.
Kelly, 62, had a highly successful stint as Oregon’s head coach from 2009-12, going 46-7 and taking the Ducks to the national championship game in his final season. He has also been a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and UCLA.
He was fired in November as the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator for Pete Carroll after just 11 games. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team.
“Making a change just to make a change. To me, that’s pointing fingers,” Braun said. “But when you make a change and have a vision for what it looks like moving forward, well now that’s taking ownership and saying, ‘No, we’re going to take an aggressive move in the right direction to really make sure that this area of our program is reflective of competing for a Big Ten championship.’
“I think Coach Kelly’s track record speaks for itself. But the thing that makes me most convicted and so excited is about his decision to say, ‘You know what? It’s not just Northwestern choosing Coach Kelly. It’s Coach Kelly choosing Northwestern.’”
Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson, in a statement, called it “a seminal moment for our program under David Braun’s direction and another indication that we are prepared to pursue the highest standard of excellence in all that we do.”
Kelly replaces Zach Lujan, the former South Dakota State offensive coordinator who served as Northwestern’s OC and quarterbacks coach for two seasons. Braun said Jackson, who has a background in NFL and college football administration before his stints as athletic director at Villanova and Northwestern, was “a critical asset” in getting Kelly on board, but said the decision was his.
Braun said he believes his alignment with Jackson, the opportunity to work with “an incredible group of student-athletes” and the investment from Northwestern — including the opening of the new $862 million Ryan Field next fall — all were factors in drawing Kelly to Evanston.
“It takes a unique individual to say, ‘I want to go be a part of something that all of us in the building believe can happen, but maybe the outside world doesn’t always anticipate that you can do it,’” Braun said. “And not that you’re out to prove people wrong, but you’re out to prove yourself right in terms of the vision that you have for the program moving forward. This is a new era in Northwestern football. There’s a lot of converging timing that goes around that, and his excitement to be a critical part of that is what makes him the right person for the job.”
Braun said Kelly’s experience in the NFL and with schools in the expanded Big Ten is invaluable and said he expects to tap into his deep knowledge as a former head coach.
Braun, the former NU defensive coordinator who took over as coach when Pat Fitzgerald was fired amid a hazing scandal in July 2023, just wrapped up his third season, in which the Wildcats made their second bowl of his tenure.
Northwestern finished this season 7-6 after a 34-7 win over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. But the Wildcats’ push toward a bowl game was driven largely by the defense.
The Northwestern offense ranks 96th in the FBS in both scoring (23.4 points per game) and total yards (346.1 per game). Quarterback Preston Stone, a graduate transfer from SMU, threw for 2,400 yards with 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Braun believes Kelly can be “a game changer” for the offense.
“I want him bringing all his creativity, all his aggressiveness,” Braun said. “For us to win Big Ten championships, we’re going to have to have the ability to score more points than we have over the course of the last X amount of years here at Northwestern. And the secret in all that is making sure that we’re evaluating our entire roster, evaluating our competition and putting together a formula that complements one another and positions us for success on game day.
“I’m sure there’s going to be elements of what we’ve seen at Oregon. Also, based on the personnel he had at UCLA and some of the best rushing attacks in the country, elements of that. And where his expertise is really going to have to shine is identifying what we currently have at Northwestern and what additions we make in positioning us for tremendous success, not only on offense, but as a team in 2026.”
The announcement comes three days before the college football transfer portal opens. There is only one portal window this year from Jan. 2-16. Braun said it was “absolutely critical” to get Kelly on board before that window.
“If you think you’re going to be competitive in the recruiting landscape with an offensive player that doesn’t know who their offensive coordinator is going to be, you’re kidding yourself,” he said.
Braun said there will be other changes to his staff but wasn’t ready to announce them Tuesday.
“This program and university are clearly on the rise, and the values of the people and this place align with my own,” Kelly said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity. There is tremendous potential under Coach Braun’s leadership, and I’m ready to contribute to this team.
“There is great momentum around the program, and the opening of the new Ryan Field reflects Northwestern’s commitment to excellence and innovation. It will be a major asset as we continue to move forward, and I am excited to get to Evanston.”
