I was very worried once I first learned that our guys did not officially seal the deal Sunday night. But, the more I think about it, the more I feel confident that Kelly will be the new coach. Here are my reasons:
1. Kelly had to fly somewhere to meet the UCLA people. We flew an armada of Gators brass to his house, to let him know that we are all in on him. Big egos love that kind of $#!+.
2. Those of you who think the Nike v UA isn't a real issue are missing something. Nowadays, A LOT of the coach's salary package is paid by the equipment deal that school has with the uniform brand. We are a Nike school. We have a massive fanbase, and are a huge TV ratings draw, when we are competitive. Phil Knight and Chip Kelly are tight. There is no way Phil Knight wants to see Chip Kelly being paid by UA, and wearing UA on national television. Brand $ dominates the sports industry now. I think this is a huge factor on our side. We may have to suffer with seeing a different uniform every week (which will suck for classic uniform purists, such as myself), but the recruits will love it.
3. Chip Kelly's ego will demand that he go and slay the Saban dragon. He has already dominated the PAC 12, and he will want to dominate the SEC. Elite coaches want to climb the biggest mountains. The PAC12 is not the SEC. Sure, he can go to UCLA to live a damn good life, but like Neuheisel said, they are not an elite FOOTBALL program, and likely never will be. No matter what they do, there is a school across town that will always be the dominant team in the entire region. UCLA will always be the little brother and will never pass USC in football stature in LA, or all of Southern California, for that matter. Hell, if USC matures on defense next year, they could win it all. UCLA will be lucky to win 4 games next year if Rosen goes to the NFL.
Chip Kelly will be in Gainesville soon. Very soon. If not, either SS and the brass $#!+ the bed in NH, or Kelly isn't half as smart as we think he is. If so, WDWHA.