EUGENE — Oregon veteran defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti has turned down a chance to move to the same position at USC, a person close to Aliotti told The Oregonian.

Aliotti, 58, wants to remain with the Ducks, the source said Thursday.

Oregon's coaching staff is in flux in the wake of Chip Kelly's departure Wednesday for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

Most of Oregon's assistant coaches have been on the road recruiting this week; they continued to recruit Thursday even as uncertainty about the next head coach persisted.

Oregon officially posted a job ad on the university website Wednesday in search of Kelly's successor. A person with knowledge of Oregon's plans reiterated Wednesday that offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, 39, will soon be promoted to head coach.

The Ducks were the only FBS program in the country that kept their staff intact the past four seasons. The Ducks were 46-7 in those four seasons with Kelly as the head coach, with three Pac-12 championships and four BCS bowl berths.

USC is searching for a new defensive coordinator after Monte Kiffin, father of USC head coach Lane Kiffin, resigned in the midst of a disappointing 7-6 season. The Trojans were ranked No. 1 in the preseason. Monte Kiffin has since been hired as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Trojans recently reached out to Aliotti, who just completed his 21st season as an Oregon assistant. He began his career as an Oregon graduate assistant in 1978; he became best known for coordinating the "Gang Green" defense that helped the Ducks reach the Rose Bowl after the 1994 season.

Aliotti's defenses have been overshadowed by Oregon's "blur" offense in recent years, though Kelly praised Aliotti and the defense virtually every chance he could.

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