As many predicted, former 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is making his return to college game next season. Interestingly, it will be as a studio analyst for ESPN. Kelly signed a multi-year deal with the network to appear mostly during pre-games, halftimes and in studio wraps each Saturday on ESPN2, the network announced Friday.
“Over the last 30 years, I have experienced football from one perspective – as a coach,” Kelly said in a statement. “Working in television will allow me to see the game from a different angle; simultaneously, I‘ll provide viewers an insight to the mindset of a coach and team while offering alternative views of various situations.”
Continued Kelly, “Once I decided to make the move to TV, my familiarity with ESPN, combined with their high-quality production and vital role in college football, it was easily the best network suited for me.”
Kelly also auditioned with FOX for the analyst job vacated when John Lynch became 49ers general manager, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Kelly was one of the most successful and innovative college coaches of the past few decades, going 46-7 at the University of Oregon from 2009-2012, and winning the Pac-12 all four seasons. Kelly won a coach of the year award every season, including the AP Coach of the Year award in 2010, and the Pac-12 Coach of the year Award in 2009 and 2010. Kelly is likely still a hot commodity at the college level, with many believing he’d be hired on the spot most programs with a coaching vacancy.
Kelly was fired by the 49ers prior to the final game of the season last year, before the team finished with a 2-14 record. Under Kelly, the team set a franchise record with 13 consecutive losses. Kelly went 26-21 as the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-2015.
“Chip is one of the most innovative football minds of our generation,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “As a coach, he saw the game from a unique perspective, never afraid to take an unconventional approach. We want him to bring that mentality to our college football coverage each week, offering fans a varying viewpoint outside of the conventional thought process.”