Chip Kelly says there is a lot going right for college football right now

Chip Kelly said there is a lot going right for college football at the moment, despite questions about the transfer portal and NIL taking over the game and college athletics in general.

The UCLA head coach said if the focus remains on players and their stories, it’s hard not to love college football. He rattled off examples of his own players and other stars of recent memory.

But not only that, the problems of today aren’t exactly new, according to Kelly.

“I think there’s a lot of things going right with college football nowadays,” Kelly told Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt. “I think the story is always the players and if you get an opportunity to meet the players, if get an opportunity to meet Zach Charbonnet, that’s what’s right about (college football).

“If you get a chance to meet Bryce Young or Will Anderson, or whoever those guys are, when you hear their stories and listen to what they’ve overcome and what they’ve done to get to where they are, that’s what it’s all about.”

The student athlete is in prime focus though. Kelly makes a good point, but NIL and the transfer portal are all about the student athletes in today’s age.

“I’ve always believed the main thing is the main thing and that is the student athlete,” Kelly said. “And if we keep the main thing, the main thing, then we’re going to be okay. But we think the world is kind of falling down around us. But if you look at every part of the history of college football, the other things have always gone on.

“There was the SMU scandal in the 70s. And the transfer portal started a long long time ago. They make it seem like it’s at the forefront now.” 

Kelly then told a story that dates back well over 100 years ago to make his point about the transfer portal.

“Fielding ‘Hurry Up’ Yost in 1896 played a game at West Virginia against Lafayette,” Kelly said. “He stayed and then played for Lafayette and beat Penn and then transferred back to West Virginia. He went on to be one of the all time greatest college football coaches and one of the all time greatest ADs that actually started the NCAA. But they had transfer portal issues in 1896. So what’s going on now, is it something that has to be cleaned up? 

“Yeah, we understand. But if we can talk and focus on the student athletes, then that’s the thing that always impresses me because there’s some impressive young men in this game.”