The Florida Gators sure are doing their due diligence when it comes to finding a new head coach to take over their once vaunted football program.
The latest name to surface in connection with their search is none other than Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Chip Kelly.
"According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley will contact Eagles head coach Chip Kelly as early as Tuesday of this week to "kick the tires" on Kelly's interest in returning to the college scene," Marc Farzetta of CBSPhilly reports.
"The source went on to say, 'Foley does not plan to officially interview Kelly yet, but will simply gauge Kelly's interest and make his first pitch.'"
Kelly coached at the University of Oregon from 2007 to 2012, finding immense success and helping to turn a formerly downtrodden football program into a perennial national powerhouse, taking Oregon to BCS games in each of his four seasons as head coach.
Since entering the National Football League prior to last season, Kelly has continued that run of success. He is 19-9 thus far in his NFL career and has his Eagles, 9-3 this season, on the verge of their second playoff appearance and second division title in as many years under his tutelage, thanks to the implementation of many of the program building techniques he honed in Eugene.
He said last year, during his introductory press conference in Philadelphia, that he had "burned the boats" when questioned about a possible return to college.
So, yeah, this all seems pretty absurd of course, but Florida and Foley have to do everything they can to seek out every avenue possible in the hopes of returning their program to the upper echelon of NCAA football.
Besides, you never know what the promise of more money and more control can do to a person.
