Ohio State football’s Chip Kelly delivers the truth on UCLA’s leave and Buckeyes OC move
At the end of the day, Chip Kelly wants to focus entirely on teaching football. Kelly cited that point as a major reason for his stunning decision to quit the UCLA Bruins as head coach to become Ohio State football’s offensive coordinator.
“I just want to coach football,” the new Ohio State football offensive coordinator told Joe Klatt of FOX Sports during the Buckeyes’ spring game (h/t Steve Samra of On3).
“I believe that in this day and age, things are changing. I coached our quarterbacks for the bowl game. I have not been in a meeting room on a regular basis since 2008. When I was an assistant. And I am having a lot of fun. Football is the best aspect of football, and I enjoy being able to coach it. I believe the role has occasionally shifted toward that of an administrator. Not in all places. However, in some cases, you must perform all of those things in order to fundraise. I just wanted to coach football.”
With the NIL having such a significant role in establishing the landscape of a college football program, some coaches believe their duties have become more specific to areas other than coaching and recruitment. Player movement has also increased at the collegiate level with the establishment of the NIL, making it more difficult for teams to retain core players and those who are next in line to play a larger role on the team. Perhaps Kelly felt that way near the end of his time at UCLA, where he coached from 2018 to 2023.
Kelly had a 35-34 record with the Bruins before moving on to Ohio State football, including a 1-1 record in bowl games. After the Bruins fell in the Sun Bowl in 2022, he helped UCLA football win the LA Browl the following season against the Boise State Broncos, which proved to be his final game with the program.
Bill O’Brien was initially hired as the Buckeyes’ next offensive coordinator, but he left before he could coach a single Ohio State game to become the head coach of the Boston College Eagles.
