Former Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly lands with another Big Ten team

It appears that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be seeing their former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly back on college football sidelines again in 2026, but closer than they expected.

ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported Kelly is going to be hired as the new offensive coordinator for the Northwestern Wildcats. Kelly spent this past season as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL, but was fired before the season ended.

Sources: Northwestern is hiring veteran coach Chip Kelly as the school’s new offensive coordinator. He’s a two-time college (Oregon/UCLA) and NFL head coach (Philly/SF) who brings an expertise in varying systems and personnel, which was appealing to Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/sMqTqrfpau
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 30, 2025

Most Buckeyes fans know Kelly as the creative genius who was co-offensive coordinator with Brian Hartline in 2024, who helped them win a national championship with quarterback Will Howard leading the way. Ohio State's offense was ranked fourth in the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 429.4 yards per game that season.

There were conversations within the Buckeyes community about whether Kelly could return to Ohio State to take over for Hartline, who has departed to become the head coach at USF. It appears reunion is out of the question.

It was a rough season for Northwestern offensively, as they were ranked 12th in the conference in total offense with 346.1 yards per game. They were also 14th in scoring with 23.4 points per game this past year, but the Wildcats still went 7-6 on the season and won their bowl game.

For anyone monitoring the 2026 schedule, the Buckeyes will face the Wildcats sometime next year, with no set date or time. It is setting up a fascinating matchup between one of the top offensive minds in college, Kelly, and one of the brightest defensive minds in the nation, currently with Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

In the history between Ohio State and Northwestern, the Buckeyes have dominated the series winning 22 of 23 matchups. The only time the Wildcats beat the Buckeyes was back in 2004 when Northwestern won 33-27 in overtime. With the last 11 matchups since, the games have been decided by one possession just one time.

Ohio State knows what Kelly is capable of, so if anyone can help a historically weak offense in Northwestern, he's the man to get the job done. Whether that will result in the Wildcats being competitive will be a whole other story.

After the pure dominance of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten over the years, even a small change at offensive coordinator won't be enough for the Wildcats to be competitive against Ohio State. The talent level between the two schools is far apart.

It does make for an intriguing storyline for the 2026 season as the Buckeyes face off against their former offensive coordinator, but how close that matchup will be is an entirely other story. Should be a fun matchup, regardless.