On Friday, the UCLA football program received some disappointing news when it was announced that head coach Chip Kelly when be ditching the program to become the new offensive coordinator for Ohio State, per Pete Thamel of ESPN. Kelly had been relatively successful in his short tenure with the Bruins, but evidently, the opportunities that the Buckeyes offered were too good to pass up.

Now, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond is speaking out about the shocking departure and what it means for UCLA football going forward.

“Earlier this morning, coach Chip Kelly informed me of his decision to depart UCLA,” said Jarmond in a statement, per Bruce Feldman, Cameron Teague Robinson and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic. “I want to sincerely thank Chip for his service to UCLA Football and our student-athletes across the past six seasons and wish the best to him and Jill moving forward.

“A national search for the next head coach of UCLA football has already begun. As we continue preparation for our move to the Big Ten Conference later this year, it is imperative that we have the right leader in place to position the program to compete at the highest level for our student-athletes, fans and university.”

UCLA would behoove themeslves to find their next coach as soon as possible in order to have as much time to get ready for next season as possible. Meanwhile, Kelly joins an Ohio State team with legitimate championship aspirations following narrowly missing out on a college football playoff berth this year.