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Ohio State announces attendance of 80,112 for spring game, highest since 2017

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra04/13/24SamraSource
Ohio State
© Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

As they usually do, the fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes came out in droves for their spring game on Saturday afternoon.

It was a beautiful day, and FOX was broadcasting all of the action. Among all the pomp and circumstance, Ohio State announced an attendance of 80,112, which is the highest for the Buckeyes since 2017.

“Ohio State spring game announced attendance of 80,112 is the highest since Buckeyes drew 80,134 in 2017,” Marcus Hartman of Dayton Daily News posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Ohio State has had announced crowd of at least 80k for spring game 6 times since 2009.”

That’s a testament to the strength of the Ohio State fanbase. What an afternoon it is in Columbus, which they’re hoping is a prelude to continued success in 2024.

Chip Kelly reveals why he decided to leave UCLA for Ohio State: ‘I just want to coach football’

During Saturday’s broadcast of the Ohio State Buckeyes spring game, Joel Klatt caught up with freshly-minted offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Kelly shocked many by going from the head coach at UCLA, to accepting the offensive coordinator position with the Buckeyes. Speaking with Klatt, he elaborated on why exactly he chose to come to Columbus in the first place.

“I just want to coach football,” Kelly responded. “And I think in this day in age, things are changing. And I coached our quarterbacks in our bowl game. … I haven’t been in a meeting room on a consistent basis since 2008. When I was an assistant. And I have a lot of fun. The best part of football is football, and I love coaching football and getting to do that. I think sometimes the role has changed, to a little bit more of an administrator. Not at all places. But at some places where you’ve got to fundraise, you’ve got to do a lot of those things. And I just wanted to coach football. 

“If I was going to go somewhere, it would be somewhere where the program shows the same values and visions that I have. I’ve known Ryan since he was a little kid, so you know when he called and he was talking about it a little bit, it was intriguing.”