Chip Kelly explains his approach to teaching duties that come with Ohio State coordinator role

Chip Kelly is getting his feet wet as the freshly minted offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes as spring practice gets underway.

Along with Ohio State leader Ryan Day, Kelly held a press conference on Tuesday, where he touched on a variety of topics. One of which was how he’ll help cultivate Ohio State’s offense moving forward, which he likened to teaching, in how he’ll explain what the Buckeyes need to do in 2024.

“I think we’re all teachers,” Kelly said, via the press conference. “I mean, education is the transportation of knowledge. It really doesn’t matter what the coach knows, it matters what the players understand. You know, so you have to be able to make sure that while you’re implementing things, is what resonates with them. How does that come back to them. So a lot of our teaching styles that we’ve learned is more of the Socratic method, of there’s a lot of questions.

“A lot of check for understandings. Just to find out where the players are coming from. Because it’s what they know, that’s ultimately going to win games. Not what we know.”

Moreover, Kelly added that his process at Ohio State is more about letting his players learn for themselves on the field, but giving them the tools to do so, as it’s not going to be up to the coaches to ultimately make the game-winning plays.

“We’re not playing the games. We’re not stepping across those white lines,” Kelly added. “Your job as a coach is to create an environment where they have an opportunity to be successful, and then get out of their way and let them go do it. So I think the teaching aspect is huge.

“We continue to research some of the latest trends in teaching, to make sure that we are transporting that knowledge to our players.”

Over the last two decades of football in general, there haven’t been many better teachers of the offensive game than Kelly. Ohio State will be lucky to have him on their side in 2024, and it should show pretty quick the power the former NFL head coach possesses.

Chip Kelly was a home run hire for Ryan Day on paper, but we’ll see if the duo can bring a championship back to Ohio State, as that’ll be the goal for the Buckeyes this season.