Chip Kelly named OSU’s latest OC

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COVER PHOTO: Former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly celebrates the Bruins' 38-20 win over USC in the Coliseum on Nov. 18, 2023. Picture by Wally Skalij/LA Times.

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After rumors for the past week or so swirled above the head of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day that he was losing newly appointed offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to Boston College, the rumors were put to rest on Friday when several outlets reported the deal was done with O’Brien to become the Eagles’ new head coach.

On Wednesday, Day held a press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and the first question he was asked was whether or not O’Brien was leaving and if he was still present at the WHAC in a working capacity.

Day said O’Brien was at the facility that day.

However, two days later, Day was left in the lurch and looking for O’Brien’s replacement.

It turns out he didn’t have to look far.

The same day those outlets were reporting O’Brien was outty at OSU and in at BC, Day sent out an official announcement later that night that he had already found O’Brien’s replacement in a familiar face: UCLA head coach Chip Kelly.

“We are extremely excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, joining our program,” Day said in the statement, while also wishing O’Brien the best.

“I would also like to wish coach Bill O’Brien and his family well as he takes over at Boston College.”

Day didn’t have to look far because he and Kelly have had a working relationship for nearly 25 years, stretching back to when Kelly was Day’s offensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire where Day played quarterback from 1998 - 2001. Kelly was hired as the Wildcats’ OC in 1999 and held the position until 2006.

Day started his coaching career at his alma mater in 2002 after graduating and the two worked together for that one season. The next year, Day took a position with (ironically) Boston College as a graduate assistant for two seasons and the two’s careers began divergent paths.

For the next 11 years, Day’s career ranged anywhere as a grad assistant to a wide receivers/quarterbacks coach and OC at Florida, Temple and BC whereas Kelly began his head coaching career at Oregon in 2009 and lasted until 2013 when he took the same position in Philadelphia for the Eagles. Kelly was Oregon’s OC for two years prior to 2009 before being named their head coach that year.

Day and Kelly’s paths crossed again, though, when Kelly hired Day in 2015 to be his QB coach in Philly. The next season, Kelly jumped as HC of the Eagles to HC for San Francisco and brought Day along with him as his QB coach for the 49ers.

In 2017, Day moved to Columbus to become then-head coach Urban Meyer’s QB coach and co-offensive coordinator. Kelly was fired from San Fran and sat at home that year.

However, Kelly was anointed the HC for UCLA in 2018 and has been their leading man ever since.

Fast forward nearly seven years later and the duo are back together again but this time in a reversed capacity as Day will be Kelly’s boss.

“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 has yet to release an official statement as to why he agreed to take a “step down” from being UCLA’s head coach to being Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. One thought is that Kelly wants a championship ring of some sort, which has eluded him in his 33-year coaching career.

It’s not like he hasn’t had at least moderate success throughout his career. He took the Ducks to the Rose Bowl in his first-ever season as not only their head coach but as a head coach, in general. It was only their fifth appearance in the game but resulted in their fourth loss, a 26-17 loss to a Jim Tressel-led OSU squad.

The following year, Kelly led the Ducks to their first-ever national championship game appearance. However, they lost a 22-19 heartbreaker on a last second field goal to Auburn, who was led by Heisman trophy-winning QB, Cam Newton.

For his efforts that season, Kelly was named the Pac-10, Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association coach of the year.

In the last six seasons at the helm for the Bruins, however, that kind of success hasn’t been as fortunate for Kelly as he’s led them to a 35-34 record with their best finish coming in 2022 when they finished 9-4 and 21st in both the AP and coaches polls, their first time finishing ranked since Jim Mora was head coach in 2014.

Kelly also led the Bruins to their first bowl win this past year since 2015, a 35-22 victory against 8-5 Boise State in the Starco Brands L.A. Bowl, as the team ended 8-5 overall and 4-5 in the conference.