Chip Kelly made the surprising decision to leave his head coaching job with UCLA to take the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State.
Many wondered why Kelly would leave a head coaching position to go back to being a coordinator for the first time since 2008, and especially for a team in the same conference as the Bruins.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke on the decision from the Buckeye point of view, saying that he was happy to have Kelly on board for the 2024 season.
Chip Kelly is officially Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator.
“We are extremely excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, joining our program. His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA, and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team.“ https://t.co/Kh3VwD8qnZ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 10, 2024
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“We are extremely excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, joining our program,” Day said in a statement confirming Kelly’s hiring.
“His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team.
“I am really looking forward to reconnecting with Chip, introducing him to our staff and team and chasing a championship together.”
Kelly had been a head coach since 2009, when he took over at Oregon. He led the Ducks to the national title game and won 10 or more games in all four of his seasons in Eugene.
He then left for a brief stint in the NFL, making the playoffs in the first of his three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelly coached his final NFL season in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers, going 2-14.
Kelly came back to college in 2018, coaching UCLA for the last several seasons. He’ll have the chance to compete for a national title at Ohio State, but he’ll have to do it under Day instead of the leader of his own program.