Spring practice is underway.
Tuesday offered the first chance for new Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to coach his players on the field, and Day dove into his relationship with the coach and what he'll bring to the program. Day also addressed ongoing position changes and battles involving Sonny Styles, Luke Montgomery and others.
Kelly took the lectern next and spoke on his reasoning for becoming Ohio State's offensive coordinator after being UCLA's head coach, what's important for the schematic process and his early thoughts on the Buckeyes' program.
Ryan Day
- With no pads it's hard to tell much, Day said, but he felt the energy was good in practice. "Good to see a bunch of guys running around out there. ... Some guys are just figuring out what to do, and then there's guys who are veteran who have played a lot of football, so they're working on different things."
- Day is excited about Kelly's background. "He brings a background of running the football that is impressive. ... I think he's really excited about the guys we have. ... Excited to see how our offensive line develops over these 15 practices."
- Day is really excited about what Sonny Styles can bring at linebacker. "You will see him at linebacker. He'll also do some other things as time goes on."
- Kelly's competitive nature and ability to adapt and change are qualities Day admires, Day said, and he's held a close bond with the coach since playing for him at New Hampshire. "We've been friends and we continue to be friends. ... We're both very, very competitive. I could tell you stories ... I owe much of where I'm at right now to him. ... It's not as much about that right now as it is two guys who are part of the same program trying to chase some goals."
- "Chip is coaching the quarterbacks and so much of what I learned is from him. ... I'll still be very much involved, but certainly Chip is running it, he's gonna run the meetings, those types of things. ... It's a really good group of quarterbacks, they've had very good leadership, a very good offseason."
- On Luke Montgomery at guard: "He's very athletic, he's somebody to me that is skilled in a lot of areas. ... We think he's got a very, very high ceiling. He's got a list of things, just like everybody, that he's gonna look at this offseason." Day added that they'll take a look at Montgomery at tackle as well, but his quickness and bend make him a good candidate for guard.
- On why he's confident in Kelly as a quarterbacks coach: "He's coached it all for so long. ... Back in the NFL, he had a huge hand in the meetings (with quarterbacks). ... He sees it all, he's seen it all for a long time and has a great feel for it. And when you're a play caller, you want to be lock-step with the quarterback."
- Day said Ohio State will continue to mix tempos and personnel groupings. He expects Kelly to be "innovative" in his approach. "Tempo will always be a part of what we do. ... I think he's always been innovative in how he's done things."
- Day said that Kelly allows him to step back and embrace the CEO role he feels he needs to as head coach. "There's no question. ... It just allows me to be more present with the whole operation, which is something I recognize that I need to do."
- Player development is more important than chemistry or scheme in the spring, Day said, and on that note Ohio State will spread reps wide among his quarterbacks. "We're gonna let them compete. ... We want to roll you with everybody in drills so you can show what you can do."
- On where Devin Brown is in the quarterback competition: "I was impressed with how he practiced today. He had an excellent demeanor."
- On where Carson Hinzman stands after being benched in the Cotton Bowl: "His numbers in the weight room are very, very good. ... It allows him an opportunity to go compete this spring. ... I'm hyped up to see what he looks like."
- Kelly will run "Ohio State's offense," and his scheme and Day's are very similar since Day learned a lot about offense from Kelly, he said. "In terms of terminology, I think it was an important thing to keep a lot of terminology because our guys are familiar to it. ... This is not two different offenses coming together ... there's just so many things in common. ... He's made some tweaks already to the run game that I think are excellent."
- Malik Hartford, Payton Piece, Miles Walker, Bryce West and Kourt Williams II will be out for the spring, Day said.
Chip Kelly
- On his decision to be an offensive coordinator after being a head coach: "It would have been the right spot to just be a position coach again. ... A lot has changed being a head coach, it's more of a CEO operation right now. ... I just wanted to be happy, and I'm really happy coaching a position. ... To be here with Ryan ... I've known him since he was a little kid."
- Kelly said he's been impressed with the athleticism of Ohio State's offensive line, but he knows the offense will need balance between run and pass. He plans to design whatever scheme will best move the ball downfield for the Buckeye offense.
- On why Day makes a good head coach: "Even since he was playing little league, he was the ultimate competitor. ... We grew up really close to each other, same elementary school, same middle school, same high school, same college. ... That competitive fire burns deep within him ... I knew he was always destined to be a coach."
- On the leadership structure under Day: "He makes me call him sir," Kelly joked. "It's a collaborative effort here. ... I think everybody's on the same page."
- Kelly said with all the changes in college football, it's important to still keep the athletes at the center of things. "The game is still about the players, and I hope that never gets discounted. ... The main thing needs to be the student-athlete."
- On the pressures on Ohio State's program entering 2024: "There's no one that has higher expectations for Ohio State than Ryan does, nor those of us who have joined him. ... We have to make sure our players aren't worried about what's going on in the future. ... It's impressive the culture of the players in this program right now."
- On what it means to be the first person to assume play-calling duties from Day: "I think the play-calling will be a collaborative effort. ... I think the key to really being successful on offense is how you game plan, how you put it all together and how you instruct it. ... It's not that they do it until they get it right, it's that they practice it so much that they can't get it wrong."
- Kelly said he doesn't think about retiring and didn't think about resigning at UCLA. He was grateful to have a chance to speak to his players and explain his decision.
- Getting to be an innovator on offense again was part of the appeal for the job, Kelly said. "It was, but it was really more important of who I get to work with."
- On Will Howard: "Really impressed. You don't have to talk to Will for more than five minutes to know where he's coming from. ... There's a maturity to Will. ... There's a sense of urgency when you're dealing with transfers, and I think Will has exuded that since he's been here."
- On whether he prefers to coordinate from the box or from the field: "I've thought of this a lot. ... I've always believed you can see the game better from up above, but I believe you can feel the game better from the field. So if there's any way we can get a zip wire (laughs). ... It's that fine line that I don't have an answer. ... We'll see how that operates and whatever Ryan feels is best is what we're gonna do."
- Tempo will be part of what Kelly does, but it's not something Ohio State will use every down. "It doesn't matter what you do, there's cycles to this game. ... I think the coaches that do it the best way is they insert their players into the best position to make plays."
