The Northwestern football world received huge news this morning, as storied offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was announced as the program's new offensive coordinator. Most recently, Kelly was a failed OC with the Raiders in the NFL, but he led Ohio State's National Championship offense in 2024.
Outside of his impact on the field, perhaps the biggest implications of this hire will be in both recruiting and the transfer portal. Offensive players will want to play for Chip Kelly. Combine his presence with a new, state-of-the-art stadium and an ascending roster? Northwestern is truly in business.
Last night, we learned that the revamped program will be tested early -- in about a week. The transfer portal is open and ready to shake up the college football landscape once again, and the nation's No. 6 ranked offensive tackle in the portal is taking a visit to Evanston on January 5-6.
Grant Seagren, previously at Oklahoma State, has two years of remaining eligibility in college football. According to On3, he's already planning to visit four schools: Auburn, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and NU.
On the surface, it seems a bit strange for him to visit his former school, but, according to a post to X from On3 reporter Hayes Fawcett, Seagren will "visit with potential transfers as he evaluates fit moving forward."
Of the actual transfer options on this list, Auburn is obviously the biggest heavy-hitter hoping to land the 6-foot-6, 311 lbs blocker. Rivals projects that he will join the Tigers, but it's very early in the process.
That's an important point to note because it impacts two things. For one, Seagren might be the No. 6 tackle and the No. 136 player in the portal right now, according to Rivals, but more players will be entering the portal in the coming weeks. Additionally, just because Seagren is visiting these four schools doesn't mean a different program won't swoop in.
It's simply too early to know whether Northwestern has a good shot to land Seagren. But it would be a big get for a team that is losing talent at tackle this offseason. Both Martes Lewis and Caleb Tiernan are exiting, so the 'Cats are absolutely in the market at this position -- especially given the importance of the offensive line to their identity.
One thing is for sure -- having Kelly in the building before this visit will help. Seagren's news was announced last night, before the Kelly hiring broke this morning. It's hard not to wonder if the Wildcats are now creeping up his list.
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