Section 215
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Eagles Rumors: All-Encompassing ‘Chip Kelly-to-USC’ Compilation

By Somers Price

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Eagles coach Chip Kelly has been linked to college positions since his arrival in the NFL. Given the fact that his most prominent success came as the coach of the Oregon Ducks, many have assumed he’ll follow some of the other unsuccessful college-to-pro coaches in returning to the NCAA ranks. Earlier this week, a report surfaced that Kelly has already told the organization that he will not be going back to college under any circumstances. Days after that report surfaced, the USC Trojans lost their second straight home game to an unranked Washington team and the seat under Steve Sarkisian grew even hotter.

The Trojans have had a brutal year on and off the field. Once seen as a top-five caliber team and a program that could challenge for a spot in college football’s playoff, USC has sputtered to a 3-2 start and will likely find themselves unranked at the start of next week. Sarkisian has not exactly distinguished himself as the type of figure-head the university had hoped he would be. Given the program’s history, its wealth of resources, and the expectation to compete for a national championship on a yearly basis; USC does not (nor does it have to) settle for mediocre.

In wake of USC’s loss Thursday night, a flurry of editorial activity started to swirl in regards to the future of the USC program. As one could expect, the usual ad-lib narrative regarding Chip Kelly started up again. Since arriving in Philadelphia, whenever a premiere college program’s coaching position opened up, the script went as followed: [insert name of major college program here] is expected to make a major push to try to lure Chip Kelly back to college. So far, Kelly’s place of employment remains at the NovaCare Center.

As mentioned above, Kelly’s remaining in the NFL hasn’t stopped speculation that he will return to college at some point. The past 12 hours and likely beyond have been and will likely continue to be chocked full of such stories. Here are a few of the early ones.

SI.com’s Pete Thamel:

Here’s his mentioning of Kelly.

"Haden’s ill-fated decision making was on full display Thursday night. And while this loss doesn’t mark the end of Sarkisian’s time at USC, it marks a definitive point where people can start speculating about the end. And that will certainly include Eagles coach Chip Kelly. USC had strong interest in Kelly when it hired Sarkisian. Not even halfway through his second season, there’s worry if “Seven-Win Sark” will even get there. Things can get a lot worse for USC (3–2) with upcoming games at Notre Dame, home against Utah and then at California. The barbarians haven’t circled the gate, but they’re huddling and game-planning."

Albert Breer of NFL Network responded to Thamel’s article with this nugget.  

 Dan Wolken of USA Today may have been the first to the presses with his piece.   

Here’s his extensive endorsement of Kelly:

"The answer for USC is easy.Though Chip Kelly is reportedly committed to seeing it through with the Philadelphia Eagles, there would not be a more perfect marriage between team and coach than jumping to the Trojans.If Kelly could dominate the Pac-12 at Oregon, there is no ceiling on what he could do at USC.The NCAA penalties that would have made it difficult for a college to hire him are over. When Kelly inevitably returns to the college game, he will instantly have the credibility and cachet to recruit at an even higher level than he ever achieved at Oregon. With the amount of skill in Southern California, USC would instantly return to its rightful place as the most feared program west of Texas.And given a roster loaded with talented players starving for coaching competence, it wouldn’t take long for USC to get back in national title contention.Thursday showed that this USC season is all but over. The Trojans’ administration needs to dedicate the rest of it to convincing Kelly that he’d be better off at a true college blueblood than floundering in the NFL.Kelly is a misfit with the Eagles. He’d be a perfect fit at USC."

As stated, this speculation will likely swirl as loudly as any given Kelly’s Pac-12 ties and the cachet that a program like USC carries with it. The rumors won’t stop until the Trojans name Sarkisian’s eventual replacement.

Next: Semi-Coherent Eagles vs Saints Preview

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