It was a strange move when it happened. Then the head coach at UCLA, Chip Kelly left the Bruins to take what, on paper, looked to be a “demotion.” Ryan Day asked him to come to Columbus to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for 2024.
While going from head coach to assistant was certainly a step down for Kelly, it did make sense in some ways. In today’s NIL and transfer portal-obsessed college football environment, the lesser job did mean a whole lot less pressure on Kelly as a coach. He was also able to focus only on offense at Ohio State, and calling offenses has always been Kelly’s specialty.
So, the pairing was made, and it’s hard to deny that it wasn’t successful. Loss to Michigan aside, Ohio State is now in the second round of the College Football Playoff after demolishing Tennessee in the first round, 42-17. A win over No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl would potentially make OSU the favorite to win it all.
The gamble paid off for Kelly and OSU, and according to Day, the longtime offensive mastermind seems to be hitting his stride now that he’s grown fully comfortable with life at Ohio State.
“I think that he’s now, a full season in, he’s got an understanding of who we are personnel-wise,” Day said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). “He’s got a great understanding of the entire game of football, offensive football, whether it’s wide open and spread and tempo or getting with multiple tight ends in the game, huddling, different styles of play, and he’s always said, and we’ve always said that the number one job of the coordinator is to put the offense in the best position to be successful.”
The Buckeyes were certainly successful offensively against Tennessee — putting up 473 yards of offense and 42 points — and now Day is expecting Kelly to draw up some similar production against the Ducks. He may have some extra motivation to do so as well.
Remember, Kelly first became famous as a coach for putting Oregon on the map from 2009 to 2012.
