Dan Lanning-Chip Kelly embrace after Northwestern game has Oregon fans dreaming of reunion

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY SportsDan Lanning-Chip Kelly embrace after Northwestern game has Oregon fans dreaming of reunion appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Oregon Ducks offense finally got rolling in the 34-26 Week 9 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. Immediately after the victory, head coach Dan Lanning was spotted embracing Wildcats offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who at one point was the head coach of the Ducks. Seeing the two together had Oregon fans dreaming of a reunion with Kelly.Lanning and Kelly dapped up and hugged on the field, surrounded by cameras and field officials. It appeared that the Ducks’ 40-year-old head coach said something into Kelly’s ear before the two walked their separate ways. It’s not known what was said at this time.Oregon coach Dan Lanning greets Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who coached the Ducks from 2007–2012, including four seasons as head coach.Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)Oregon defeats Northwestern 34-26. pic.twitter.com/rQDQs8TGTT— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) October 31, 2026With Oregon’s offense struggling through most of the campaign before firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, fans couldn’t help but think about Kelly coming in as the replacement next offseason. A Dan Lanning defense paired with a Chip Kelly offense sounds like a match made in heaven.“Bring him back, he misses the program in Eugene,” one fan said about Kelly.This fan joked, “[Lanning] whispered in [Kelly’s] ear, ‘My office, 5:00 p.m. Let’s start negotiating.'”“Bring Chip Kelly back to Oregon as OC, Dan,” another individual requested. “Just because you blew it and didn’t get him last year doesn’t mean you can’t have him for next season.”One user pleaded, “Lord, I don’t ask for much.”“Give him a blank check and have him come be our OC and help Oregon finally win a Natty. It would be a full-circle moment,” one fan stated.Kelly was hired by Northwestern in December 2025 after being let go by the Las Vegas Raiders as offensive coordinator the previous season. The 62-year-old coached the Ducks from 2007 to 2012 (2007-08 as OC, 2009-12 as HC).For now, the Ducks are relying on assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson to run the offense. In his first go, he helped lead Oregon to scoring 34 points after failing to score 15 or more points in the previous three games. He’ll have another opportunity to prove himself in Week 10 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.Related: Utah, UCLA surge into top 5 of College Football AP Top 25 PollRelated: Oklahoma football rumors: Ben Arbuckle sounds like a dead man walking, but will Brent Venables fire him now?