After securing his first national championship in January, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is dealing with significant changes on his coaching staff. In addition to replacing several key players heading to the NFL, Day must now fill both offensive and defensive coordinator positions. The departure of Jim Knowles, who left for Penn State with a lucrative deal, adds to the challenge. A week later, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly left for the NFL to join the Las Vegas Raiders under Pete Carroll.
Kelly’s exit comes a year after Bill O’Brien left for Boston College, which led to Kelly’s arrival from UCLA to join Day’s staff. While Kelly initially sought the opportunity to return to coaching, his move to the NFL is now raising questions about his motivations.
Day, who had been the play-caller for the Buckeyes’ offense in previous seasons, handed over play-calling duties to Kelly to run an offense featuring Kansas State transfer Will Howard. Together, they guided Ohio State to impressive performances in the College Football Playoff. Now with Kelly gone, Day may resume his previous role unless a suitable replacement is found.
Meanwhile, Penn State has had a successful offseason, not only landing Knowles but also retaining key players like quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and defensive standouts like Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton. With significant changes in Columbus, the pressure is on Penn State’s James Franklin to finally overcome Ohio State, whom he has only beaten once since taking over the program in 2014.
