Chip Kelly discusses 2024 Pac-12 departure, strength of the conference

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly isn’t interested in gushing over the Bruins’ Pac-12 departure. At Pac-12 Media Day, the 59-year-old head coach masterfully avoided discussing his opinion on leaving the conference.

“There’s a lot I’m going to miss, but I’ll reminisce on that after because we’re not leaving right now,” Kelly said. “Our sole focus and attention is on this season. I think the league is as strong as it’s ever been. I know everybody has talked about that today. But I’m very sentimental when it comes to my feelings about the Pac-12.”

It’s not a surprise to hear Kelly’s attachment to the conference. He first gained national attention when he joined the Oregon Ducks‘ coaching staff in 2007. After serving as the program’s offensive coordinator for two years, Kelly was promoted to head coach on March 31, 2009.

In all four seasons as head coach Kelly propelled the Oregon Ducks to BCS games: the 2010 Rose Bowl, 2011 BCS National Championship Game, 2012 Rose Bowl, and 2013 Fiesta Bowl. After running into trouble at Oregon, Kelly moved on to coach in the NFL.

Nonetheless, he couldn’t avoid the Pac-12 for long. Kelly returned to the conference when UCLA hired him on Nov. 25, 2017. Although Kelly refused to go into the emotional details at Pac-12 Media Days, he admitted he has a soft spot for the conference.

“I’m so affectionate towards the conference and have so many good friends here,” Kelly told ESPN. “The Pac-12 is a special place, but it was one of those deals … I found out [UCLA was leaving] two hours before it was going to happen.”

UCLA and USC will be joining the Big Ten on July 1, 2024. The conference’s presidents unanimously approved the two schools’ invitations to join the conference in a vote in June 2022. Both programs have been members of the Pac-12 for over 100 years.

Nonetheless, before UCLA fans can gather tears in their eyes, they must cheer on their Bruins for one final season in the Pac-12. After all, coming off its best season (9-4) under coach Chip Kelly, UCLA could be dangerous this season.

Kelly certainly feels good about his team.

“We really have a lot of depth. This will be one of our deepest teams in terms of who can play, and how many players we can play. We’ll be at 85 scholarships when we get to the fall, so we feel really good about where we are, feel really good about our depth as we continue to develop it,” Kelly said in May.

The Bruins will begin their last dance in the Pac-12 on Sept. 2 against Coastal Carolina.

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