Chip Kelly's UCLA exit was messy, landing as Ohio State offensive coordinator is a boon for him, Buckeyes

Chip Kelly spent nearly 30 minutes speaking to Ohio State reporters Tuesday, and he did his best Andy Dufresne from Shawshank impersonation. 

He was finally free, too. 

Unshackled by the frustrations and challenges of being a head coach in modern college football, the former UCLA boss looked rejuvenated and refreshed in his new role as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. 

He smiled. A lot. He ushered the word ‘happy’ over half a dozen times. 

“There’s a story about John Lennon,” Kelly explained. 

“When he was a little kid, he had an assignment about ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ He said, ‘I want to be happy.’ And when his teacher said, ‘I don’t think you understand the assignment.’ (Lennon’s) mom said, ‘I don’t think you understand life.’”

Kelly added, “I just want to be happy. And I’m really happy coaching a position. Really happy to be at this place. It would have taken a special place for me to leave UCLA because I love those players and that coaching staff, but to be here with Ryan (Day) … I think a lot of things fell into place.”

They certainly did for him. 

Ryan Day’s decision to shuck play-calling responsibilities and hire his mentor, who was a head coach at a fellow Big Ten program, was one of the biggest moves of the coaching offseason. 

Kelly wanted out of Westwood, and after failed flirtations with multiple NFL teams, the perfect opportunity was presented to him. 

Chip Kelly is excited just to coach football again

Make no mistake, what Kelly did to the players, assistant coaches and staffers at UCLA was dirty. He clearly was frustrated and checked out. The timing of his move cost people real jobs, too.

And yet, it’s hard to criticize someone for pursuing happiness.

“I do a lot of things other people don’t do,” Kelly said.

“I can’t tell you how many coaches that have called me since I made this decision that said, ‘I’m two years behind you, brother.’”

To that, I’m skeptical. 

One of the spiraling narratives in college football this offseason is that so many coaches want out because of the horrible calendar, unfettered player movement and NIL. 

The truth is most coaches either aren’t qualified to work in the NFL, and are getting paid too handsomely to walk away from the college game anyway. 

And that’s what makes Kelly’s path to Columbus so unique. 

Kelly could afford the luxury of walking away from over $6 million annually because he doesn’t need the money. He’d been a head coach long enough — in college and the NFL — that he could say ‘To hell’ with the responsibilities he loathed (recruiting, fundraising NIL money and glad-handing boosters). 

So while the optics of Kelly’s decision were not great, the union with Day and Buckeyes looks like a perfect marriage. 

Kelly is clearly excited just to coach football again. He said as much explicitly. Ironically, his renewed joy was actually sparked during prep for his final game as UCLA’s head coach, where Kelly had to serve as the team’s QBs coach for two weeks before the Bruins’ bowl game when he lost offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson to Oregon State. 

For the first time in 15 years, Kelly was working hand-in-hand with quarterbacks again. He was back to his roots, and it felt good. 

It felt right.

“My wife remarked saying she hasn’t seen me that happy in a long time,” Kelly said.

“And, to me, that’s the best part of football is football. And so you got to do football, and not do some of the things that involve with the head coaching dealing.”

Kelly is one the most innovative offensive minds ever, and Day has carved out his own niche as a brilliant Xs and Os coach, too. Now, the two gurus get to work together to unlock an Ohio State offense that, despite featuring freaky talents like TreYevyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, needed a breath of fresh eyes and ideas. 

Coaching quarterbacks for the first time since 2008, Kelly will have a major impact on Ohio State’s 2024 season. It’s up to him to get the most out of Will Howard, Devin Brown or one of the 5-star freshmen. The Buckeyes have gone all-in on next season, and the combined brain trust of Day and Kelly could be what finally gets them over the hump after a frustrating finish to the last three seasons. 

“There’s a lot of love there,” Day said. 

“This is about a couple guys, part of a great program and trying to chase some great goals.”

 Said Kelly, “This just seemed to fit for the timing in my life of where I wanted to be, and what we wanted to do, and it worked out.”

By the look on Kelly’s face, it certainly did.