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‘I trust Chip with my life’: Ryan Day hypes up former Oregon football coach at Big Ten Media Days

Former Oregon Ducks football head coach Chip Kelly is apparently pretty well-liked by his new boss.

By Ethan Lee

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16.
Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA
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Chip Kelly was recently on the receiving end of some rather significant praise. His new boss (Ryan Day), who would have been his contemporary had he stayed at his most recent old job (the UCLA Bruins), was gushing in praise of the former Oregon football coach (it’s been a few years, but still) during Big Ten Media Days. 

In his remarks, Ohio State’s head coach spoke rather highly of Kelly, who was massively important in helping lead the Oregon Ducks to national prominence. 

"Chip is one of the best offensive minds in the history of college football, in my opinion, and he's a great play-caller,” Day explained. “He's got to do that. He just has to go and get a feel for our guys and let them call it."

And one huge reason that Day is praising Kelly is because Kelly now works for him. Ryan Day needed a bit of help in elevating the Ohio State Buckeyes back into being a national title winning sort of program after being stuck just outside that sort of status for a handful of years now. 

So, he turned play calling duties on over to a guy who is an architect of brilliant offenses. 

“Chip is here for a reason, to run the offense, but I think it's my job as the head coach to look on the horizon and figure out what's coming,” Day stated.

Oregon football: Former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly to help Ryan Day with Ohio State Buckeyes

To be completely frank, Kelly is a phenomenal pick for an offensive coordinator role and it was a little stunning to see him step into that sort of role after being a program-defining sort of head coach elsewhere. But, if that’s the sort of position he wants to be in to continue his career, then have at it. 

It was just a little shocking. But, as Day noted, Kelly will get to focus in on the offense. A lot of the big picture stuff? Well, that’s something he won’t necessarily have to deal with in his new role. Plus, Ohio State is a pretty sweet gig.

Oh, and Kelly gets to work with a guy who very clearly enjoys being around him. 

“I trust Chip with my life, and that's a big part of any time you are handing something over like that that you have done almost your entire career,” Day said.

That sure sounds like a pretty big sort of endorsement to me.

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