The big moves keep coming for the Wildcats.
After hiring 35-year coaching veteran Chip Kelly as its next offensive coordinator, NU has swiftly filled out much of his offensive coaching staff over the past week. Kelly has reached into his past with his trio of hires, using connections from his tenure as the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders and head coach of UCLA and the Philadelphia Eagles to add quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel, offensive line coach Tim Drevno and tight ends coach Bob Bicknell.
Neuheisel, who was promoted to offensive playcaller at UCLA after its 0-4 start and led the Bruins to three straight wins last season, has spent his entire coaching career at UCLA. He rose through the ranks from graduate assistant to wide receivers coach to tight ends coach.
At NU, he’ll return to coaching the position he played in college, which Los Angeles Times UCLA beat reporter Ben Bolch (Medill ’96) said will be a strength for him.
Bolch, once the Fall 1995 deputy sports editor for The Daily Northwestern, noted that Neuheisel has always been willing to do whatever he could to support his program in Westwood, and he expects that will continue in Evanston.
Neuheisel and Kelly’s relationship was evident during a 2022 media availability, when Neuheisel revealed that Kelly would let him and other assistant coaches call plays during practice.
“For us as coaching development, what more could you ask for than to be able to ask Coach Kelly exactly what he thought about all your calls,” Neuheisel said in the availability.
Similarly, Bolch said he anticipates Drevno, who replaces former offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle, to share a dedication to success.
Drevno, who spent last year as an offensive consultant for Texas, has been a coach for almost 35 years and has coached six offensive linemen who became first-round picks. He also spent three years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, where he oversaw seven offensive linemen selected to the Pro Bowl.
As offensive line coach, Drevno will work with the position at the heart of Kelly’s pro-style offense, which he has experience with from their three years together at UCLA. The Bruins’ offense under Kelly relied on running the ball often and successfully, setting the program record for most points scored in 2022 with 510.
Bolch said that part of the reason Kelly hired Drevno is likely his success with players both on and off the field.
“He’s known as a very high character, caring person who really supports his players,” Bolch said.
In his college coaching career, Drevno has coached seven all-conference offensive linemen. He spent most of his career in California, including stops at UCLA, USC and Stanford.
A former offensive coordinator for Michigan and San Diego, Drevno’s teams were consistently at the top of the league in rushing. In his three years at Michigan, his teams finished eighth, third and third in the Big Ten in total rushing yards.
At San Diego, his squads finished with the top–scoring offense in Division I-AA twice and ranked in the top 10 in the other two seasons on the way to two national championships in four years.
Drevno’s boss during six of those seven seasons was current Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh.
When hiring him at Michigan, Harbaugh said in an interview with the team’s website how excited he was to continue working with Drevno.
“Tim is an outstanding offensive line coach and is a technician that works very hard at making his student-athletes better players and students,” he said.
Bicknell, replacing Paul Creighton, is another 30-plus-year coaching veteran. He has spent most of his career in the NFL, coaching the tight ends for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, as well as several other stops.
One of those stops was under Kelly during his time in Philadelphia, where the Eagles’ high-flying offense set franchise records in points, touchdowns, passing yards, completions and completion percentage.
Bicknell has also travelled the world to coach football, spending eight years coaching in NFL Europe, the now-defunct football league that housed teams across the globe.
The first of those years was spent as the defensive line coach before he switched to offense.
Bicknell hasn’t looked back, spending 21 years coaching the offensive line and wide receivers in addition to the four years he has spent coaching tight ends.
Kelly’s new-look offense could be built on flexibility, according to Bolch.
Some of that variability has included his use of the T-formation, which employs three running backs, and his ability to adapt his offense, as seen when he switched from an up-tempo blur offense to a more ground-and-pound pro-style.
“He’’s very detail-oriented, and he always has a plan,” Bolch said.
To achieve that style, Kelly often employs a dual-threat quarterback. Last week, NU landed a commit from former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, who had the second-highest rushing grade for a Big Ten quarterback over the last two years.
Bolch said before Chiles’ commitment that the ’Cats would be best set up for success if they had a dual-threat quarterback.
The combination of a new offensive coordinator, experienced position coaches and a system-fit quarterback marks 2026 as a new beginning for NU Football.
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Twitter: @YoniZacks
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— Football: Northwestern names Chip Kelly as next offensive coordinator
— Football: Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles commits to Northwestern
