Ryan Day reacts after Chip Kelly leaves Ohio State

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day offers his initial reaction after offensive coordinator Chip Kelly departed the Buckeyes for the NFL after one year.

Ryan Day reacted to Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State while speaking during an interview. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Chip Kelly lasted one year at Ohio State, a remarkable year in which he helped lead the team to a national championship, but now the offensive coordinator is heading to the NFL.

News broke over the weekend that Kelly was leaving Ohio State to become the next offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders and head coach Pete Carroll.

That news went public as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was speaking with Joel Klatt’s college football podcast, but based on his response, it didn’t appear as though Day was very surprised by it.

Ryan Day reacts to the news of longtime coach and mentor Chip Kelly leaving @OhioStateFB after winning a National Championship together.

More with @joelklatt on Kelly's departure and what reaching that mountaintop meant to Ryan Day ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uoWNdGdj6Q

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) February 3, 2025

“It was great,” he said of the experience with Kelly.

“We talked about it, that we had a really great group here, and the dream would be to win a national championship, and then he decides if he wants to stay or have an opportunity to go to the NFL. That’s exactly what happened.”

Kelly landed at Ohio State last offseason after Day’s original offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, abruptly left the program to become head coach at Boston College shortly after being hired.

That turned out to be a reunion of sorts for Kelly and Day, as the latter worked for the former when both were at the University of New Hampshire from 1998 to 2001.

Day then went on to serve as quarterbacks coach under Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers before landing at Ohio State as an assistant.

Together, Day and Kelly orchestrated one of college football’s more-productive offenses behind veteran quarterback Will Howard, tailbacks Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Ohio State averaged just over 36 points per game and posted more than 429 yards on average.

“To be able to have a beer in a few years and talk about the year we had together is going to be special, because I started with him and we went and did that,” Day said, referring to he and Kelly winning a national title together.

“What a great story.”

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