Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day has had to deal with a lot with the departure of some key staff members after winning the program’s ninth national championship a couple of weeks ago. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was hired by Penn State to the same post, offensive line coach Justin Frye left for greener pastures in the NFL, and on Sunday, offensive coordinator and mentor, Chip Kelly, was hired by the Las Vegas Raidersto be their offensive coordinator.
Kelly was only in Columbus for one year, but what a memorable season it was. He was brought in to help the Buckeyes win the national championship, and that’s exactly what happened. Now, a search will commence for his replacement, and there’s no doubt it’ll be big shoes to fill, even with some names already being lobbied about.
If you are wondering what Day himself thinks of the news of Kelly moving on to the NFL, you don’t have to wonder any longer, because it just so happens he was sitting down with Joel Klatt for an interview for his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show,” when the news broke. So, as luck would have it, Klatt was able to ask the Ohio State head coach about what it meant to him to bring home the national title with Kelly on board in real time.
“It was great. We talked about it. The fact that we had a really good group here, and 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, and that’s exactly what happened. 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 we all started together. This is where I started, with him, and we went and did that (won the national title). What a great story. I know so many people back home in New Hampshire are excited for him and for the story. It’s pretty special.”
You can watch the short video clip from Joel Klatt’s social media below. It’s Ohio State, so Day will have no problem finding a fantastic coach to replace Kelly, and you can feel how happy he is for Kelly as he responds to the news.
All of Buckeye Nation should think Kelly for his contributions this season and now it’s off to find someone who can measure up. That almost has to happen pretty quickly, so as news starts to formulate on he or any of the other openings, we’ll bring it to you.