When Chip Kelly left his position as head coach of UCLA in February to take a job as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, many were taken aback. Even with a “better” program, head coaches rarely accept a downgrade, but Kelly did so when the Bruins chose to keep him on staff in spite of pressure from UCLA football supporters to remove him.
In the midst of the Buckeyes’ spring workouts on Tuesday, Kelly spoke to the media. He claimed that one of the main reasons he accepted the new position was to put coaching before his own satisfaction.
“All I wanted was to be content, and I’m content in my coaching roles. Very glad to be here,” Kelly remarked, as reported by Nick Kosko of On3. You know, leaving UCLA would have required a special spot for me since I adore those guys and the coaching staff, but I’m glad to be here with Ryan, with whom I get along really well. Ryan and I went back to when he was a young child. Thus, it seems to me that a lot of things suddenly clicked.
Kelly has coached at the collegiate and professional levels for the past 14 seasons. He added that another reason he lost interest in being a head coach was the way college football is evolving, with NIL deals and the transfer portal essentially taking over the league.
As a head coach, you presumably sit through position meetings but are constantly taken out. Becoming a head coach also has additional responsibilities; at this point, I believe it’s more of a CEO operation. You know, the position has altered in the context of college football as we all know it.

New Hampshire connection lands Buckeyes a new OC

The Buckeyes were able to convince Chip Kelly to join the coaching team because of his connection to Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day. While Day was the offensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire, Kelly assisted in recruiting him. Additionally, they went to the same high school and graduated sixteen years apart.
Day served as Kelly’s assistant coach for two seasons in 2015 and 2016 while Kelly was the 49ers’ and Eagles’ head coach, respectively. In both cases, Day was the quarterback’s coach.
On Tuesday, Kelly discussed their friendship and gave Day praise.
Kelly stated, “I’ve known him for a long time,” citing Ohio State sports. One thing I’ve always respected about him is that he has a fierce competitive spirit. He has a phenomenal athletic brain on how to digest information and position players to create plays.
Kelly last served as a position coach or coordinator for Oregon football in 2008. After 16 years, he is at Ohio State, where he holds one of the most sought positions in college football as offensive coordinator.
In the end, Chip Kelly seems to only want to coach football and not worry about the other duties that come with holding the position of head coach. If Ohio State does struggle this season, Kelly won’t always have to be the one facing the music. The Buckeyes offensive still needs to put on a show.

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