Although Chip Kelly’s decision to leave UCLA in February was unconventional in terms of both timing and destination, the Bruins players who attended Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday expressed no hard feelings toward their former head coach.
On the contrary, they expressed happiness and excitement for their former coach that he got the opportunity to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State, a move he said he made because he wanted to get back to focusing on the football part of coaching rather than all the other demands that come with being a head coach.
“I think we're just happy for him,” UCLA defensive tackle Jay Toia said. “Happy that he's in a situation where he can be offensive coordinator at The Ohio State. Ohio State's a really big program historically. So we're just all happy for him and he did what he thought was best for him and his family.”
New UCLA coach DeShaun Foster, who worked alongside Kelly for the past six years as UCLA’s running backs coach, said he’s eager to see what Kelly can do with the offensive talent he’ll have in Columbus.
“They’re getting a good coach. Somebody that's well-versed in football. Really knows a lot of ball. Great play caller. Going to run the rock,” Foster said. “So I'm excited to see what Coach is going to do. He's somebody, when he has a lot of talent, things go really well fast. So I'm excited to see what he's going to do.”
While Kelly’s teams at UCLA never became a championship contender, the Bruins won at least eight games in each of his final three seasons in Westwood. Three of his final four offenses at UCLA ranked in the top 20 nationally in points per game; his 2022 Bruins ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense, fourth in the FBS in total offense and first in the nation in rushing yards per attempt.
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers, who completed 98 of 146 passing attempts for 1,136 yards and 11 touchdowns with three interceptions as a part-time starter for the Bruins last season, credits Kelly with playing a big part in his development as a quarterback.
“He's a very, very smart offensive mind, and he taught me a lot of things that I'm going to use in my future,” Garbers said. “He's been nothing but great.”
Asked what Ohio State’s quarterbacks should know about Kelly, Garbers said “he's going to coach you hard and he's going to be in your corner.”
UCLA wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said he expects Ohio State to be very happy to have Kelly as its offensive coordinator.
“He knows exactly what he's talking about and I think Ohio State's going to be happy to have a guy like that calling the plays for them,” Sturdivant said. “He brings a new mentality to the game and being able to learn from a guy like that that's been to a lot of places and had success has been great.”
Toia says Ohio State is getting a “great coach” with Kelly joining its staff.
“He's a great offensive mind,” Toia said. “I think he changed the game of football when he was at Oregon. And I think that's exactly what Ohio State's getting. Great coach, great person. Happy for him and what he's doing.”
“He's a very, very smart offensive mind, and he taught me a lot of things that I'm going to use in my future. He's been nothing but great.”– UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers on Ohio State
Former UCLA safety Kamari Ramsey, who transferred to USC this offseason, also had positive things to say about Kelly.
“He's a great play caller. He's been around the game for a long time. He's a great coach, he knows how to take care of your bodies. And he's gonna bring something different to the Ohio State offense,” said Ramsey, who considered a transfer to Ohio State this offseason before choosing to become a Trojan instead. “The overall schedule that he went through when he was recruiting me, just the vibe that he gave me, he was very genuine, very upfront.”
Garbers acknowledged that “it was tough at the start” when he and his teammates found out Kelly would be leaving UCLA on Feb. 9 – most college football head coaching changes occur in December – but said “it made things a whole lot easier” when they found out Foster, who had briefly left UCLA to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ running backs coach, would be returning to replace Kelly.
Foster said he wouldn’t be in that position without learning from Kelly over the past six years.
“I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Coach Kelly,” Foster said. “I believe my success of running the rock came from him, too. So it's not just me. He was calling run plays and helping me coach up the backs.”
While UCLA players aren’t dwelling on the departure of Kelly, instead embracing Foster’s ascent into the head coaching position as well as the arrival of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator, Ohio State’s players are excited to have Kelly leading their offense this season.
“Coach Kelly is somebody you kind of got to get to know. You got to get to know his mannerisms, all that type of stuff, because he's a unique character. But once I got to know him a little deeper, I mean, I love Coach Kelly,” Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka said Tuesday. “I'm so glad he's a part of what we're building here at Ohio State. And I think he's the perfect fit.”
No one is happier to have Kelly in Columbus than Ryan Day, who considers Kelly to be like a family member with the close relationship they’ve shared since Kelly was his offensive coordinator while he was the quarterback at the University of New Hampshire. Saying Kelly is “like an uncle” to him, Day has full faith in Kelly to get Ohio State’s offense back to where it should be as Day hands off offensive play-calling duties for the first time as a head coach.
“Chip's one of the best offensive minds in the history of college football, in my opinion. And he's a great play caller. So he's got to do that. He's just got to go and get a feel for our guys and let him call it,” Day said Tuesday.
“For me turning it (play calling) over, I really wanted to have somebody that had head coaching experience. Never thought that you'd have somebody that was a head coach the way he has been in college and in the NFL and that background. And so it allows me a little more of a peace of mind and certainly a lot of trust there. I trust Chip with my life, and that's a big part of any time you're handing something over like that that you've done almost your entire career.”
