Former Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly has taken the reins as offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Those who can’t wait to see the latest version of his up-tempo attack designed to keep defenses in check will be disappointed. Since those “blurry” days at Oregon, Kelly has continually adapted his play-calling approach to compete at the highest level. College football fans may be surprised at what they see when the Buckeyes take the field for the 2024 season.

Recall that Kelly and current Ohio State coach Ryan Day worked together at New Hampshire before the Oregon Ducks hired Kelly to revamp their offense. He quickly established a tempo of play never seen before in college football. The premise was that an approach based on speed and an explosive running game would confuse defenses. Opposing coaches struggled to find ways to stop the Ducks, trying a variety of tactics that involved “standing back” players with potential injuries.

Kelly’s record at Oregon was impressive by any measure. In three seasons, he posted a 34-6 record, made two Rose Bowl appearances, and played in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. Given the attention he was receiving, there were constant rumors of a move to the NFL. In January 2013, Kelly was hired as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. This was the beginning of what was considered a disappointing foray into the NFL that spanned just one season in San Francisco. Kelly posted an overall record of 28-35. He returned to the college ranks in 2018 as the head coach of UCLA, and the development of Kelly’s offense continued.

Then, in a somewhat surprising move, Kelly resigned from UCLA after the 2023 season and was hired by Ohio State coach Ryan Day as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. While that move sparked a frenzy about what kind of fast-paced approach Kelly might bring to Columbus, one well-known football coach has a different perspective.

Former Ohio State University head coach Urban Meyer appeared on Colin Cowherd’s The Herd and shared his thoughts on the 2024 version of Chip Kelly’s play-calling offense.

“I’ve known Chip forever. We’re very close. We spend a lot of time together in the spread offense,” Meyer said. “His philosophy back at Oregon as head coach and coordinator was to be as fast as possible. That evolved when he went to the NFL, and it evolved even more when he went to UCLA.”

“He’s the perfect playmaker now. He’s a guy who puts his mind together, takes his time and makes the perfect play. That’s a drastic difference from when he was head coach at Oregon.”

One trait of Kelly’s that hasn’t changed is finding the right players for his offense. These aren’t necessarily household names, but quarterbacks who have successfully learned his program and led the Ducks to multiple championships. The list includes Darron Thomas, who led Oregon to the Bowl Championship Series title game against Auburn in 2010 and the Pac-12 title in 2011. Perhaps his best pupil was Marcus Mariota, who started in 2012 and was Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy winner two years later.

Although it’s early and no games have been played yet, Kelly’s reputation for finding the right player for his system is undiminished. Coach Day recently announced that former Kansas State quarterback and newcomer to the transfer portal Will Howard will be the starting signal caller when the Buckeyes open the season against Akron on August 31.

Coach Kelly believes Howard has the skills needed to run the offense and produce the wins Ohio State is looking for.

“Being the right guy in the run game is just as important as being the right guy in the pass game when it comes to what we ask of the quarterbacks here. He really worked extremely hard in the offseason. From the end of spring ball to now, he’s made great strides,” Kelly said. “We gave him a plan to work on over the summer. He took it and ran with it. Where he is now is pretty impressive. He’s got experience. He’s been in the huddle. He’s been in the huddle in a lot of games. He’s been in the huddle in big games. Columbus is new to him, but playing college football is not. That experience really came through during camp. I’m excited to see where he goes with us.”

Following the news, 10TV’s Adam King spoke with coach Day about the Buckeyes’ new quarterback.

“We’re excited to have Will (Howard) as the starter,” Day said. “I think Will has really taken control of the offense. You feel him in the huddle, you feel his experience. As we talked about, he’s done a really good job of changing his body in the offseason. He’s become a threat with both his legs and his arm. The more he understands what he’s doing out there and what he’s doing, the better he’s executing it. I think the guys are excited. When he’s in the huddle, which isn’t to say they’re not excited when the other quarterbacks are there, but they feel Will. I know he’s excited to lead the team.”

Howard’s numbers at Kansas State last year were modest at best: a 61.3 completion percentage (219-357), 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those numbers would have to be higher to be considered successful, but if there’s a coach who can do that, it’s Chip Kelly and his ever-evolving offense. Ducks fans will get to see Ohio State’s offense firsthand when the Buckeyes visit Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12 – a game that could very well play a role in deciding the Big Ten championship.