Potential Candidates for Ohio State Buckeyes to Replace Chip Kelly

The Ohio State Buckeyes need to replace offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and here are a few potential candidates.
Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; An Ohio State Buckeyes helmet at College Football Playoff National Championship press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.
Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; An Ohio State Buckeyes helmet at College Football Playoff National Championship press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Following their national championship win, the Ohio State Buckeyes did not have a lot of time to celebrate before things started changing. Already, the team has lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, offensive line coach Justin Frye, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Rumors were also running rampant that teams were trying to convince star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to leave Ohio State.

Thankfully, Smith isn't going anywhere from the look of it. However, Ryan Day will now need to replace three integral memebers of his coaching staff.

Kelly is the latest to leave Columbus after taking a very lucrative offer from the Las Vegas Raiders. He had brought a creative and high-performing offensive system to the Buckeyes. Replacing him will not be easy.

All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at a few potential replacements for Kelly at offensive coordinator.

Will Stein, Oregon Offensive Coordinator

Making a move to steal Oregon's offensive coordinator would be a double win. Stein is a great offensive coach and taking him away from the Ducks would also be a setback for Ohio State's main competition in the Big Ten.

Convincing Stein to leave Oregon would be the tough part. However, a chance to join the Buckeyes does not come around very often. Having an opportunity to coach Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith might be too much for Stein to pass up.

Jason Candale, Toledo Head Coach

Before Ohio State landed Kelly, they had been connected to Candale as a potential offensive coordinator option. Simply revisiting that option could be of interest to the Buckeyes and Day.

Candale is from Salem, Ohio, so having a chance to coach at Ohio State could be a dream opportunity for him. He could also use that position as a way to jump to being a head coach at a bigger school in years to come.

This is a very legitimate option to keep a close eye on and the connection between the two parties was already made a year ago.

Brian Hartline, Ohio State Co-Offensive Coordinator

Finally, the front-runner for the position could already be a member of the coaching staff. Hartline has emerged as an elite coach with the Buckeyes. Promoting him should be a strong consideration for Day.

By keeping things in-house and promoting Harline, Ohio State would keep their consistency. He knows how Kelly ran the offense last season and would likely be able to keep things rolling the same way.

There is no guarantee that Hartline would be as good of an offensive coordinator as Kelly, but he might very well give the Buckeyes the best chances at keeping their chemistry intact and the same offensive system in place.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.