Ohio State lost both coordinators Sunday evening following their national championship season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly signed with the NFL to join Pete Carroll’s staff, following defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ earlier departure to Penn State.
Kelly’s exit comes weeks after helping guide the Buckeyes to a 34-23 championship victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta. The 61-year-old coordinator spent one season in Columbus.
Five-star wide receiver recruit Jeremiah Smith posted a cryptic tweet following the news, but Cleveland.com’s Stephen Means suggests Kelly’s departure was expected.
“Day and Kelly’s reunion was probably never meant to be long-term,” Means wrote. “Day was ready to grow as a head coach, and in Kelly, he had the perfect person to help him do that. There’s no one in football he trusts more.”
Kelly struggled to adapt to college football’s evolving landscape, particularly NIL deals and the transfer portal, according to Means.
“Kelly needed an out from what college football had become,” Means wrote. “He just wanted to think about what was happening on the field instead of all the stuff that was happening off of it, and being Day’s coordinator allowed him to do that.”
Under Kelly’s guidance, transfer quarterback Will Howard and the Buckeyes’ offense thrived during crucial moments of their championship run.
The move marks Kelly’s return to the NFL, where he previously served as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2015) and San Francisco 49ers (2016).
Head coach Ryan Day now faces the challenge of replacing both coordinators as Ohio State prepares to defend its national title.
