Chip Kelly returning to college football as head coach of UCLA

11:09 AM ET

UCLA has informed its football staff that it is hiring Chip Kelly as its next head coach, sources told ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

An agreement with Kelly and UCLA was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Kelly also had been considering the vacant Florida job, sources previously told ESPN.

Chip Kelly went 46-7 in four seasons at Oregon, winning three conference titles and playing in the BCS championship game in 2010. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire

The Bruins have been looking for a new head coach since Jim Mora was fired Nov. 19, a day after a third straight loss to USC. He had been with the Bruins for six seasons. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The Kelly hiring will bring back a well-recognized name to the Pac 12.

Kelly last coached collegiately at Oregon, going 46-7 with the Ducks from 2009 to '12. Known as an offensive innovator while there, his up-tempo offenses averaged 44.7 points per game during that span. He led Oregon to big bowls in each of his four seasons: Rose Bowl, BCS title game, Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.

Kelly left Oregon for the NFL shortly before NCAA sanctions were handed down. He was slapped with "failure to monitor" in the Will Lyles case after he was accused of paying $25,000 to the 7-on-7 coach in exchange for him guiding players to the Ducks. The NCAA ruled that Kelly wasn't aware of Lyles' actions but said he was responsible for ensuring his program was in compliance. Kelly also was handed an 18-month show-cause penalty, which expired in late 2014.

As smooth as his teams in Eugene played, Kelly's two stints as head coach in the NFL were anything but.

Hired by the Eagles in 2013, he went 10-6 in each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia, then was abruptly fired after a 6-9 campaign in 2015. Just weeks later, the San Francisco 49ers hired him, but he lasted just a year there, going 2-14 before being relieved of his duties with three years remaining on his contract.

The 49ers currently owe Kelly approximately $15 million, sources told ESPN's Darren Rovell. What Kelly makes at UCLA will offset that and reduce what the 49ers owe him.

Most recently, Kelly has been serving as an analyst for ESPN. He turned/turns 54 on Nov. 25.

At UCLA, Kelly will look to stop a disturbing trend in Westwood -- losses to ranked teams. Under Mora, the Bruins dropped six straight games against ranked programs. They also lost three straight to the Trojans.

UCLA does currently have the nation's No. 14-ranked recruiting class for 2018 and has finished with a top-20 class the past three years.

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