COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coaches Ryan Day and Chip Kelly have officially come full circle, as the program announced the hiring of the latter as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Friday night.
Day's former employee, Bill O'Brien, left Friday after just three weeks to become Boston College's head coach. Instead of being derailed, Day quickly turned to his friend and mentor who — in an unprecedented move — left his position as head coach of incoming Big Ten member UCLA to serve as Day's play-caller.
Ohio State said Kelly agreed to a three-year deal.
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“We are very excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, join our program,” Day said in a press release. “His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with Chip, introducing him to our staff and team and chasing a championship together.”
“I would also like to wish Coach Bill O'Brien and his family well as he takes over at Boston College.”
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Indigenous people have reached out for the first time in 25 years. Kelly was an assistant and Day was a quarterback for the State University Wildcats. The next day Kelly worked as quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles (2015) and San Francisco 49ers (2016).
Although their roles have been reversed, Kelly represents an important source of experience and stability for Day, who is stepping away from playing duties for the first time.
Kelly rose to prominence at Oregon State, where he spent two years as offensive coordinator and four years as head coach. His fast attacking and high-scoring attacks made him a reputation as an advanced offensive thinker and tactician. That led him to the NFL, where his first two Eagles teams won 10 games, including the NFC East Championship in 2013.
Kelly's last three teams at UCLA went 25-13. In many ways, his resume mirrored that of O'Brien, whom Day selected specifically because of his NFL experience and coaching background. The difference is that Kelly and Day share more in common, both in their backgrounds and their offensive philosophies.
Brian Hartline will continue to serve as co-offensive coordinator with Kelly, as was planned under O'Brien.
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