Who is Chip Kelly? Ohio State football hires former UCLA, Oregon coach as offensive coordinator

austin curtright, usa today network

Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 7:43 PM·3 min read

With Bill O'Brien becoming the next coach at Boston College, Ohio State football has already found its next offensive coordinator.

The Buckeyes have announced the hire of UCLA coach Chip Kelly for the offensive coordinator gig left behind by O'Brien, who had been officially named Ohio State's play caller on Jan. 19.

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Kelly, 60, coached the Bruins from 2017-24, and signed a contract extension with the school through 2027 in March 2023.

Here's everything to know about Kelly:

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Who is Chip Kelly?

Kelly, 60, was previously the coach at UCLA from 2018-24, leaving his head coaching position to become a top assistant at Ohio State.

Kelly has an extensive background that includes serving as the coach of Oregon from 2009-12, even leading the Ducks to the 2011 BCS championship game.

(NCL_OSU10ROSE_01JAN_LAURON_31DEC09) Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel meets with Oregon head coach Chip Kelly for a photo opportunity in front of the Rose Bowl trophy during a press conference the day prior to the Rose Bowl Game, December 31, 2009. (Dispatch photo by Neal C. Lauron)

Kelly left the Ducks in 2012 to become the head coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, where he finished with a 26-21 record in three seasons before taking the opening with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, where he coached for only one season after going 2-14.

In 2017, Kelly spent a season as a college football analyst at ESPN before he was named UCLA's coach in late 2017. Kelly finished his UCLA tenure with a 35-34 record, including an 8-5 (4-5 Pac-12) finish in 2023.

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Chip Kelly-Ryan Day relationship

Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Kelly have a long history together, as Day played quarterback for Kelly at New Hampshire from 1998-2001 when Kelly was the offensive coordinator. Day was also New Hampshire's tight ends coach under Kelly in 2002.

Day coached on Kelly's staff for the Eagles and 49ers in the NFL, serving as quarterbacks coach for Philadelphia in 2015 and San Francisco in 2016.

Chip Kelly coaching record

In 10 seasons as a college head coach, Kelly accumulated an 81-41 record across stints at Oregon and UCLA, two programs joining the Big Ten for the 2024 season.

In four seasons at Oregon, Kelly took the Ducks to two Rose Bowls (1-1 record), a Fiesta Bowl (1-0) and a BCS National Championship, where they lost to Auburn. He finished 46-7 in Oregon.

Chip Kelly salary

According to USA TODAY's coaches salary database, Kelly was paid $5.979 million in 2022-23, which made him the 27th highest-paid football coach among public universities.

Kelly's salary at Ohio State has yet to be revealed. Although, it's assumed his salary will be less than it was at UCLA, as the highest-paid coordinator in college football last season was Clemson's Garrett Riley, who made just over $2 million.