UCLA, Chip Kelly agree to 4-year contract extensions – San Bernardino Sun

Soccer coach Chip Kelly has signed a new four-year contract with UCLA.

Kelly began the final year of his original five-year contract with the university on Sunday.

“We are extremely appreciative of the entire UCLA administration for their support of our football program,” Kelly said in a press release. “We are extremely grateful to our players and staff. Their tireless work and commitment to our vision have built a great foundation. We’re excited to continue building this program into something that makes the UCLA fan base proud. ”

The extension comes days after Kelly’s two coordinators officially left the program to take jobs at other universities and another coordinator is said to have resigned.

All three coordinators have been on the show since Kelly arrived at Westwood in 2018.

In 2021, Kelly led the Bruins to their first win of their first season (8-4 final, 6-3 Pac-12) of his tenure. UCLA first became eligible under Kelly but was forced to withdraw from the Holiday Bowl, just hours before kick-off, due to COVID-19 protocol.

The show had a promising start to the season with a win over LSU but slipped out of the AP Top 25 Poll and started leaning in favor of another .500 season in October.

The Bruins won 3-0 in November, which seemed enough to keep Kelly at Westwood and avoid training carousel chaos.

Kelly was repeatedly asked about the status of his contract but never wanted to mention his contract publicly.

If the university wanted to go in a different direction, Kelly would owe a $9 million buyout.

The athletics division reported a deficit of $18.9 million for the 2019 fiscal year, according to information obtained by Jon Wilner of The Mercury News. UCLA could have avoided paying the buyback if it had kept Kelly employed through January 15, the final day of his fourth year. Kelly’s fifth year does not include an acquisition.

“This new contract demonstrates the commitment, stability and investment needed to continue to grow our football program,” UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “Since joining UCLA, our team’s win rate has increased year-over-year, including with increased momentum in recruiting and using a transfer portal strategy.”

The extension comes as a vote of confidence for a coach who has been 16-25 in his first four seasons. The decision to keep Kelly brings a certain stability to the show.

Kelly will have to embark on replacing three key assistants: assault coordinator Justin Frye, who left for Ohio State to become head of crime and assault team coach; special team coordinator Derek Sage, who left to become Nevada’s offensive coordinator; and defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro, who resigned.

Aside from the new coaching staff, roster management will be a top priority this season and something Kelly said at the end of November.

Most of the Bruins draft-eligible players have made their future intentions clear while another 12 have left the program for the transfer portal.

Ten high school students signed during the initial signing period. Kelly has said that he will consider exploring the remittance portal to use any remaining scholarships.