Fact or Fiction: Chip Kelly will end up back at Oregon
In today’s Fact or Fiction national columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. Chip Kelly will end up back at Oregon.
Farrell's Take: FICTION. I know the Ducks are pursuing the former Oregon coach and trying to poach him away from UCLA but I’d be surprised if Chip Kelly left Los Angeles. It has to be tempting and he could be great in Oregon again, but he’s put a lot of work into UCLA and honestly has a better chance of success in this day and age there with the recruiting and NIL advantage. It would be a home run hire for Oregon but there are so many things working against the Ducks here that it would be a surprise to me.
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2. Quinn Ewers will land at Texas.
Farrell's Take: FACT. The former five-star quarterback is visiting the Longhorns this weekend after a good visit to Texas Tech earlier in the week and it’s a tighter battle than people would think, especially with the hire of Zach Kittley from Western Kentucky and how quarterback-friendly that offense will be.
But I’ve been told his first call was to Steve Sarkisian and the brand of Texas alone has the Longhorns with a big edge. He was committed there before when Tom Herman was in charge and make no mistake that NIL is in play here so I’d be stunned if he wasn’t blown away on his visit to Austin.
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3. Jacob Copeland will finally end up at Tennessee.
Farrell's Take: FACT. This is a complete guess and honestly the FICTION answer is easier here but I have a gut feeling about this one. Remember that Jacob Copeland famously committed to Florida on national television while his mom sat next to him wearing a Vols hat. Mom got up in the middle of the announcement in disgust and clearly wanted Copeland at Tennessee.
Does that matter now? No.
But the offense that Josh Heupel has showcased in Knoxville has been impressive and Copeland could make a major immediate impact there and perhaps get the targets he wanted at Florida.