It’s very rare to see a coordinator be the most household name within a college football program. However, there is no doubt about it, Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly is the biggest brand name individual on this current Northwestern Wildcats football team.
Typically, it’s the starting quarterback, or maybe a high-flying skill position player. Or a blue chip level NFL Draft prospect. Or sometimes even the head coach himself.
However, no one else on the current Cats has
-Led a team to the national championship game as the head coach
-Won a national title as an OC
-Served as head coach of two of the biggest brand name NFL teams
-Won a NFC East title
-Named AP College Football Coach of the Year
So when people talk about 2026 Northwestern football, they often bring up Chip Kelly. Everyone seems to love this hire, and understandably so.
Running back Gavin Sawchuk is just like Kelly in that this is his first year at Northwestern, and he comes in having been at bigger brand name teams (he previously played at Oklahoma and Florida State).
Sawchuk has NFL ambitions and he praised Kelly’s NFL pedigree.
“Having Chip, someone like that as an offensive coach and offensive mind is big,” said Sawchuk.
“He sets up players for opportunities to have big plays all over the field. It’s an NFL offense, he’s been an NFL guy. He’s been all around.
“He knows what it takes. He’s put running backs there. He’s coached running backs that have been in the league. So he knows what it takes. He puts people in the position to be able to show themselves and be able to prove that.”
Kelly’s offenses are known for developing RBs to realize their full potential. His schematics and systems are famous for creating wider rush lanes and facilitating increased spacing.
He fielded a question about how he can improve the rushing attack this season.
“Think everybody on the same page,” Kelly responded.
“So the details of it, you know, is the timing of the line with the backs when the backs hit the hole? Is the timing of the line at the same time?
“Are they getting movement on their double teams and then getting off at the right time for the right people?
“You know, are there assignments clear? Are you staying away from tackles for loss?
“That’s a huge thing that kills you all the time in the rush game. All of a sudden you got a run of six, you got a run of eight, (then) you got to loss a three.
“Now you’re off track.
“If you can stay on track, you move the ball forward on first down, gain four, plus yards on first down and then get half the distance on second down, and then convert on third downs and then stay on the field.”
Chip Kelly has a reputation for being very passionate when it comes to game-planning and play-calling. That’s what he’s about; it’s what he really loves to do.
You may have heard someone be described as “a music geek” or “a policy wonk.” He is like that, but for scheming an offensive attack.
He continued to discuss his run game philosophy:
“So obviously the longer the drive, the more tired the defense gets, the bigger the rush lanes get,” he added.
“So, you got to stay away from three-and-outs. It’s really about being efficient, especially early in in the drive. Can we be really efficient and accumulate a couple first downs?
“Because things start to change after that.
“But I think it’s really the details and that’s what these guys are doing a really good job of working on right now.”
In terms of Sawchuk having ability and potential at the next level, Kelly responded with the following:
“That’s a down the road thing, which is kind of good when you have an off day or something like that you can look up and kind of see and think about that.
“And that may be your motivation, but on a daily basis, it’s just about self-improvement. And he really he lives that on the practice field right now.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.