It was a surprise to many when Chip Kelly stepped down as UCLA head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State in February. It's rare for head coaches to take a demotion, even with a “better” program, but Kelly did just that after the Bruins decided to retain him despite a push from UCLA football fans to fire Kelly.
Kelly addressed the media on Tuesday amid spring practices for the Buckeyes. He said that prioritizing his happiness for coaching was a significant factor in taking his new role.
“…I just wanted to be happy, and I’m really happy coaching positions. Really happy to be at this place,” Kelly said, per On3's Nick Kosko. “You know, it would have taken a special place for me to leave UCLA because I love those players and I love that coaching staff but to be here with Ryan, who I have a great relationship. I’ve known Ryan since he was a little kid. So I think a lot of things just fell into place.”
Kelly spent his last 14 seasons of coaching as a head coach at the college and professional ranks. He mentioned the changing landscape of college football, with NIL deals and the transfer portal virtually taking over the sport, as another reason why he fell out of love with being a head coach.
“…I think as a head coach, you sit in position meetings, but then you’re always getting pulled out. And there’s other things that are involved with being a head coach, and I think it’s more of a CEO operation right now. You know, it’s the job in the landscape as we all know of college football has changed.”
New Hampshire connection lands Buckeyes a new OC
Chip Kelly's relationship with Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day helped the Buckeyes persuade Kelly to join the coaching staff. Kelly helped recruit Day to the University of New Hampshire while he was the offensive coordinator. They also both attended the same high school, graduating 16 years apart.
Day coached under Kelly for two seasons in 2015 and 2016 while Kelly was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Day was the quarterbacks coach in both instances.
Kelly praised Day and spoke about their relationship on Tuesday.
“I've known him for a long time,” Kelly said, via Ohio State athletics. “That competitive fire burns deep with him and that's one thing I've always admired. He's got an amazing athletic brain in terms of how to process things and how to put people in a position to make plays.”
Kelly hasn’t been a position coach/coordinator since the 2008 season with Oregon football. 16 years later, he finds himself in one of the most coveted offensive coordinator jobs in college football at Ohio State.
When it comes down to it, Chip Kelly sounds like he just wants to coach football and not be bothered with the other responsibilities that come with being a head coach. Performances still have to follow from the Buckeyes offense, but Kelly won’t always have to be the guy facing the music if Ohio State does underperform this season.
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