Chip Kelly leaving UCLA as the head coach to become the offensive coordinator for Ohio State was quite a surprise.
It has been a while since DeShaun Foster was named the head coach, so the dust has settled quite a bit.
Still, Kelly leaving UCLA to go to Ohio State is a surprise, although a smart move that could pay off for Kelly for a number of reasons.
Cody Nagel of 247Sports ranked the 10 best coordinator hires, and Chip Kelly leaving UCLA to become the new OC at Ohio State is at the top of the list:
Chip Kelly made one of the biggest moves of the entire 2023-24 coaching cycle when he left his position at head coach at UCLA to become the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. Kelly spent 14 of the past 15 years as a head coach at either the college level or the NFL with one season off the sidelines and in the studio at ESPN. He reunites with his protégé in Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who both played and coached alongside Kelly at New Hampshire. The Buckeyes need to rejuvenate their offense after their worst scoring output in a dozen seasons. Kelly is more than capable of orchestrating that as one of the best offensive minds in the sport.
Kelly gets back to calling plays and gets to do so without the pressure of being a head coach, so it makes sense from that regard. It will be interesting to see what the Buckeyes offense looks like next year.