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NFL players back the idea of Chip Kelly moving up to the NFL

In an anonymous NFL player poll, The Sporting News discovered that the idea of Chip Kelly moving to the NFL is on peoples' minds.

Jonathan Ferrey

The Sporting News polled 103 NFL players from 27 different teams about a variety of topics, and when asked which college head coach they'd like to see in the NFL, 11 voted for Oregon Ducks' coach Chip Kelly.

Kelly was tied for third on the list. Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban led all coaches with 32 votes, and he was followed by Ohio State's Urban Meyer's 16 votes. Les Miles of the LSU Tigers also received 11 votes.

Other coaches who earned multiple votes of confidence should they decide to move to the pro ranks included Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly.

Kelly's rise has been much faster than the other coaches on the list. He has only been a head coach for four years, taking over at Oregon for Mike Bellotti in 2009. Before that, Kelly was the offensive coordinator under Bellotti for two seasons after he was hired away from New Hampshire, where he served as offensive coordinator.

He has a 43-6 record as Oregon's head coach.