Chip Kelly to OSU as OC
February 9th, 2024 at 3:43 PM ^
Yes. I see them regularly. The offense was pretty good, above average, but far from dominant. Scored points on weaker teams, got pushed around by better teams.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:11 PM ^
You're Hustlin' Backwards, Chip!
February 9th, 2024 at 2:11 PM ^
Why would you leave a HC position to be an OC? This is just odd
February 9th, 2024 at 2:15 PM ^
I think he just got sick of being a program leader. A lot of people around the program have wanted him out for a variety of reasons and some guys simply aren't built for this new cfb world. Maybe he's one?
He's never liked recruiting but it's not like OSU will ask him to avoid it. The program had seemed to hit a peak a bit back and maybe he didn't feel like trying to get over that hill? It's baffling.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:30 PM ^
Seemed like Chip was doing everything he could to get an NFL OC job because he hates recurring so much. Maybe Day let him know that he could take this job and only focus on coaching football.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:37 PM ^
Because none of the NFL teams that he interviewed with for OC jobs would hire him, and he knew he was about to get canned from UCLA. He's a burn out, like many older coaches who are over NIL, the portal, and so on. He's also weirdly obsessed with the impact of conference realignment.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:12 PM ^
Can't see him taking this job unless he thinks there's a good chance he'll have an opportunity to become the head coach very soon.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:35 PM ^
Ha, no way. The dude doesn't want to deal with NIL, recruiting, and everything that is involved in college now. He just wants to coach.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:14 PM ^
Did he get a pay raise, or take a big pay cut?
February 10th, 2024 at 6:02 AM ^
Moving from LA to Columbus is a huge pay raise in itself.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:14 PM ^
If he was fired, he could have collected $6M per year through 2027. I believe he gets nothing if he just leaves.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:14 PM ^
Speaking of Don Brown
(fine hire but doesn’t really move the needle either way IMO. Day schemes a much better passing game than Chip, Chip will strengthen the running concepts).
February 9th, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
I think that's been a focus for OSU this offseason.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:41 PM ^
Yeah, this move sort of puts a nail in the "jet sweep on 4th-and-1" offense, but BoB was also likely to do that as well.
What doesn't scare me is that OSU has perfectly fine running plays in their offense but neither the OL nor the HC confident enough to run them. That really hasn't changed with this move, and without an apparent all-world WR for the first time in a long while in Columbus I'm not sure the Buckeyes are ready to fill pivot to bully ball/40-carries-a-game that is Kelly's MO recently.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
Right now, our OL wouldn’t scare me either.
February 9th, 2024 at 6:12 PM ^
Right now? It's not getting any better next year or even the year after. Day's OL development is not good and Kelly couldn't build a good OL at UCLA either.
February 9th, 2024 at 6:33 PM ^
Ohio has two guys who were rated way higher than Harrison and have a LOAD of hype. Not saying they’ll be as good as he was, but the odds that one of them hit are extremely good. They’ll have the best receiver in the Big Ten next season. Bank on that.
February 9th, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
Well, Julian Flemming was the #1 WR in his class and he just transferred, Noah Rogers already transferred at NC St., so did Caleb Burton, and I guess they've got some upcoming sophomores and true freshmen along with Egbuka.
Who do you think is going to be the best WR in the Big 10 next year from OSU, understanding that Tez Johnson from Oregon is back, Zachariah Branch at USC is a former all-world recruit, and there are likely a guy or two we aren't talking about who'll likely break out.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:03 PM ^
fine hire but doesn’t really move the needle either way IMO.
They're not bringing in an OC to build a new scheme, they mainly need a playcaller up in the booth, and someone who can at least share QB coaching duties.
Since Kevin Wilson left, Day has basically been the OC, playcaller and QB coach while trying to manage the entire team. He admitted recently some of that has to get offloaded to competent assistants.
There was a funny press conference before Cotton Bowl, Day sitting next to Missouri coach, who was asked what finally got his team clicking. He said the main thing was letting OC call plays instead of trying to do everything himself. I don't know if Day physically squirmed, but I think it made an impression.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:17 PM ^
There’s certainly been criticism from the OSU side, and Day’s meh game day coaching seems to be an area they hope to improve. It’s not easy to do all of it, which makes it more embarrassing for Day that he lost to a guy who did the offense AND the OL and was head coaching his fourth game ever.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:26 PM ^
They lost because Day benched the starting center midway through bowl prep after he gave an overly candid interview (wild overreaction imo). Then moved right guard to center even though he hadn't played there, and put a completely hopeless backup in at guard. The O-line was a turnstile, nothing like the unit that played vs Michigan.
And then they had to play a true freshman 3rd-string QB most of the game after Devin Brown got injured.
I blame Day for reshuffling the line. I don't think game management was the problem.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:39 PM ^
He was referring to the Michigan game.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:52 PM ^
Oh I see that now, good catch. You guys were just that awesome, what can I say? Harbaugh put together a great team and staff.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
Jonathon smith to ucla???
February 9th, 2024 at 2:30 PM ^
Not sure his contract details at MSU but he 100% would have taken the UCLA job over MSU if he knew it would open up.
He chose MSU because it was the best available job at a time his stock was high and he was looking to bail on his alma mater to avoid the Pac2 mess. If UCLA was also open he doesn't even think twice about it.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:40 PM ^
As much as I hate to say, MSU can outbid UCLA
February 9th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
too bad OSU doesn't play UCLA next year. that would have been fun
February 9th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
UCLA wouldn't match the NIL money that OSU offered to Chip.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:19 PM ^
Calling it now, Chip Kelly is the interim coach for the Bowl Game / Expanded Playoff after Ryan Day is fired for losing to Michigan x4. Chip Kelly then takes an analyst job for an NFL team after the season when aOSU cleans house.
February 9th, 2024 at 5:54 PM ^
This is something I will pray on daily. Just for the laughs.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
My gut reaction as a non-ball knower (relative to this board and site) is that this scares me more than BOB.
Also - for all the gripes about the portal, this doesn't maybe surprise anyone but it's still strange that a HC is leaving a super-2 school to be an OC...at a school in the same league. UCLA is going to be rough next year. And if CFB is going to get better, they need to tamp down on HC movement as much as player movement.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:42 PM ^
It shouldn't really scare you at all, Chip Kelly had one good offense his entire time at UCLA, the rest were mediocre or bad. This isn't 10-15 years ago where he was actually a trend setter and ahead of the curve.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:46 PM ^
The only slight cause for concern is the fact that he'll have a lot more talent to work with at OSU. Notice nobody is mentioning his lack of ability to recruit because it really doesn't matter if NIL is working and others on staff can handle it. That's how it should be with Wink but we all know that we have more important structural recruiting problems.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:51 PM ^
I mean don't get wrong, not saying he is terrible or anything but it's just not a name that should strike fear in anyone in the year 2024.
February 9th, 2024 at 4:53 PM ^
Did his name ever strike fear in anyone?
February 9th, 2024 at 2:49 PM ^
Not to burst your bubble but the talent level at OSU is quite a bit higher than what he had at UCLA. In college the Jimmy's and Joe's absolutely matter.
This does concern me unlike O'Brien as their OC.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:54 PM ^
I kind of looked at BOB as running an O similar to what Day wanted to do - it didn't really change the dynamic much. Chip's O is from the same tree as Urban's right? And since CJ Stroud isn't walking through that door, it likely matches OSU's talent a bit better. We can still win by winning up front, and there's a chance the marriage of schemes is something like Gattis/Harbaugh 2019 - but I think it's actually trying to change their game a bit, which is a smart ploy in my mind.
February 9th, 2024 at 3:40 PM ^
Exactly this...they are clearly trying to become more balanced/run heavy team. Actually, more like what UM has become and kicked their ass with and what Urban was throughout...saw bit of it last year but didn't seem like Day was committed enough to it. But, they now have 2 major horses in the backfield that will expect to be fed, a QB that's a more than capable runner but not an all-world passer...so this hire, someone that Day has worked with and is like to listen to makes a lot of sense for them. A def upgrade from BOB and what they've done w Do it all Day.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:54 PM ^
I mean the reality is OSU's talent is what it is, any OC they bring in is going to score alot of points, the question is does the OC raise the bar at all from a scheme standpoint. And there just is not much evidence that the current Chip Kelly really does that.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
Future Headline:
" Wink and Clink Sink Buckeyes and put the Wolverines on the Brink of 4th BIG Championship"
February 9th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
Wow, UCLA must be the worst place on Earth.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:24 PM ^
They had this moment after Coach O called them "sissy blue" and then they beat LSU that I thought they were about to fly and then...they didn't.
They were kinda stuck in that upper middle class of the Pac12, if I remember right. Always felt like they could/should be better, but just didn't get over that hump. Sorta like PSU under Frames, or us early Harbaugh. And now their roster and staff are being raided. There's so much potential there tho.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:34 PM ^
A Lot like Rich Rod. His offensive innovations were figured out.
February 9th, 2024 at 6:03 PM ^
This is exactly it!
If he was still any sort of offensive genius UCLA would've at least been much more competitive and had better offensive output in general. The dude had Charbonet and didn't come close to winning the PAC-12. His NFL record was ass, too.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:34 PM ^
The composite 87th ranked recruiting class for a major school like UCLA says a lot. They only had 10 kids sign. 😬
February 9th, 2024 at 3:42 PM ^
How is that even possible?
Seems Dante Moore knew exactly what he was doing when he bailed.
February 9th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^
I’m interested in seeing what their offense looks like even. Chip has changed a lot since Oregon - despite most people associating him with the blur offense still
February 9th, 2024 at 2:29 PM ^
good. I always hated Chip Kelly, and now I have more reasons. He's like RichRod++.