Chip Kelly Salary: How much is Ohio State OC making with the Buckeyes?
Chip Kelly made arguably the most shocking move of the college football offseason. Despite being the head coach of the UCLA Bruins and earning a hefty salary north of $6 million last season, the 2010 AP College Football Coach of the Year left the role to accept the Ohio State Buckeyes' vacant offensive coordinator position.
Kelly is set to take a significant pay cut in Ohio, as he is set to earn just $2 million this year, which is $4.1 million less than he was due to receive from UCLA. His contract, which is set to expire on January 31, 2027, will increase each season with the long-time former head coach set to earn $2.1 million in his second year of the deal and $2.2 million in the final year.
Chip Kelly has had stints coaching the Oregon Ducks and the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. He led the Ducks to a 46-7 record between 2009 and 2012, including a national title appearance and three Pac-12 championships. He spent the following three seasons with the Eagles, compiling a 26-21 record, however, he was fired before the final game of his third season.
Kelly spent just one season with the 49ers, who finished 2-14. After taking a year away from coaching, he has spent the past six seasons with the Bruins, who went 35-34 during his tenure.
Why did Chip Kelly leave UCLA Bruins for Ohio State Buckeyes?
Chip Kelly did something that most coaches don't choose to do, opting for a demotion from the head coach position. Speaking to Dayton Daily News' Marcus Hartman, the newly-hired Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator revealed that he first began to consider the idea when he overlooked the quarterbacks' group for the UCLA Bruins in their LA Bowl victory over the Boise State Broncos.
He said:
"To me the best part of football is football, and so you got to do football and not do some of the things the head coach has to do. I get to decide what my future is going to be, so what do I want to do? So I started looking for an opportunity. It would have to be the right spot to go somewhere and just coach a position again and be back with that group."
Kelly continued:
"As a head coach you sit in on position meetings, but you're always getting pulled out and there are other things that are involved with being a head coach. It's more of a CEO operation now." [h/t Dayton Daily News]
While Chip Kelly has taken a step backward in some eyes by serving as a coordinator for the first time since 2008, he will be with a perennial contender in the Ohio State Buckeyes. If he thrives in his current role, there will likely be plenty more head coaching opportunities available in the future.