Chip Kelly contract buyout: How much does UCLA owe if he's fired?

Following Ohio State OC Bill O'Brien's departure to become the head coach of Boston College, UCLA HC Ryan Kelly announced his intention to step down from his position in Los Angeles to join Ryan Day's Buckeyes.

After Kelly's decision to resign from the position, UCLA AD Martin Jarmond announced that UCLA will enforce a buyout worth $1.5m, according to a report by USA Today.

AD Martin Jarmond had the following to say about the situation,

“Timing is a challenge,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said, adding he told the team the plan was to have a new coach in place within four days.

“This is something as an athletic director and program, you have to be ready for in case you’re in a middle of a search,” Jarmond said. "We were ready and we’re prepared.” (h/t USA Today)

How much is Chip Kelly's contract buyout?

The one point that might stop UCLA authorities from firing Kelly is his $9 million buyout contract clause. This number was reported by Bench Bolch of the LA Times. While not as outrageous as the $70 million that Texas A&M will have to pay Jimbo Fisher, it is still a considerable sum of money for any school.

What's Chip Kelly's record with the UCLA Bruins?

Chip Kelly is .500 with the Bruins since 2018, having exactly 33 wins and 33 defeats. He has never had a double-digit winning season with UCLA, which might begin to explain why donors don't have faith in him.

Kelly was brought into UCLA to replicate his level of success with the Oregon Ducks, which included four double-digit winning seasons, three conference titles, and two bowl wins.

So far, he hasn't been able to carry the Bruins to the Pac-12 championship game and has only been to two bowl games. One of those was canceled due to Covid-19 and the other was the loss to Pitt in the 2022 Sun Bowl.

At times, the Bruins have been ranked this year but inconsistency has made them drop from the AP Poll.