Rece Davis details why Chip Kelly leaving UCLA is peculiar to him

griffin_mcveigh

Spencer Holbrook Talks the IMPACT of Ohio State NEW Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly

Nothing should surprise us when it comes to the college football coaching carousel anymore. But when Chip Kelly decided to step down as a Big Ten head coach at UCLA to become Ohio State‘s next offensive coordinator, eyebrows were raised across the country. Yes, Ohio State is one of the sport’s blue bloods but coordinators are supposed to leave to become head coaches — not the other way around.

ESPN’s Rece Davis called it a “peculiar” move from Kelly, maybe going back to his roots. Kelly is known for not enjoying the whole facade of being a college head coach. He enjoys calling plays and producing results on the field.

Being an offensive coordinator allows him to do as such and with some of the best talent in the country. After all, Ohio State will enter the 2024 season as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

“To walk away from the UCLA job to take a coordinator job, even at a great place like Ohio State, is still strange,” Davis said via the ESPN College GameDay Podcast. “It strikes me as one of the more peculiar moves. I know there was some pressure and maybe the leash wasn’t as long as some might have anticipated. But I don’t think this fits the quintessential ‘I’m beating the posse out the door’ move. This seems more like a choice that he’s made based on what he wants to do.”

Kelly was facing some pressure at UCLA and was reportedly going to be fired per Tracy Pierson. However, the Bruins took down crosstown rival USC just a few days later and a move was not made. When UCLA faced Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 16, Kelly was there on the sidelines coaching and came out with a win.

After deciding against firing Kelly, the expectation in Westwood was for him to be the head coach for the 2024 season. UCLA was going to be entering a new era as a program with the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Having an experienced leader there to help the transition must have been the thought process.

Kelly will be attempting to win a Big Ten championship this season but just wearing different colors. He will work alongside transfer quarterback Will Howard, hoping to get the Ohio State offense back to one of the best units in the country.