Chip Kelly signs two-year extension with UCLA

Coach Chip Kelly has signed a two-year extension with UCLA that keeps him under contract through 2027, the school said Friday.

The Bruins were 8-4 last year and finished 21st in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll, the first time since 2014 that they had been ranked at the end of the season.

“I am excited about our football program under the leadership of Coach Kelly and his talented staff,” athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “The football program is on an upward trajectory, both on the field and in the classroom. Coach Kelly and his staff have done a tremendous job developing young men as demonstrated by their academic excellence.”

Kelly is 27-29 through five seasons in Westwood, but is 16-8 the past two years. He took over after Jim Mora Jr. was fired in 2017 and had a roster predominantly filled with underclassmen his first two seasons.

The Bruins were 3-9 in Kelly’s first year in 2018 and 4-8 the following season. During the shortened 2020 season, a turnaround began with a 3-4 mark.

Kelly — who is 72-36 as a college coach — signed a four-year contract last year.

UCLA will go into its final season in the Pac-12 with plenty of questions. The Bruins were fifth in the nation in total offense, but quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has graduated and running back Zach Charbonnet left early for the NFL Draft.

Kelly will also have his third defensive coordinator in as many seasons after hiring D’Anton Lynn.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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