What Ryan Day said about Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State football after one season

Posted by author February 3, 2025 Football

Spread the love

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sunday’s news of Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State football to serve as the next offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders may have caught some by surprise.

But for Kelly and OSU coach Ryan Day, it was a realistic move in a year-long plan.

“We talked about it, the fact that we had a really good group here,” Day said Sunday on the Joel Klatt Show. “The dream would be to win a national championship and then he decides whether he wants to stay or have an opportunity to go to the NFL.”

The first goal was accomplished on Jan. 20 when Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in the College Football National Championship, clinching the ninth title in program history and the first in Day’s six-year tenure.

While it only took Kelly and Day one season together to lift a trophy, it was a moment years in the making.

Though Kelly is 16 years the elder, they’ve had a connection stemming back to their hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire.

Their bond elevated when Day served as Kelly’s quarterback at the University of New Hampshire (1998-2001).

They’ve coached together in the past with Day working under Kelly with the Eagles (2015) and 49ers (2016). However, the 2024 season provided an opportunity for Kelly to work under Day.

The journey panned out as they hoped, with Day reaching the pinnacle and Kelly becoming the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL.

“To be able to have a beer in a few years and talk about the year that we had together is going to be special,” Day said. “…We went and did that. What a great story.”