"I do believe it’s going to help Ohio State": Urban Meyer anticipates Buckeye success with Chip Kelly’s revamped offensive scheme
Chip Kelly took a step down from his head coaching career for the 2024 season, as the new offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. After five years as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, Kelly changed airs for Columbus, Ohio to work under coach Ryan Day. This could be incredibly positive for the Buckeyes, as they will certainly have one of the most prepared offensive coordinators in college football.
Former Buckeyes and Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer is one of those who agrees with this appreciation. On Thursday's edition of the Herd With Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports, Meyer spoke about Kelly's upcoming role:
“This Chip Kelly offense is completely different than the so-called radical offense that he ran when he was the head coach at Oregon, it’s completely different. And I do believe it’s going to help Ohio State. They’ve got the quarterback that fits this scheme.”
(from 3:55 mark onward)
Meyer emphasized that this wouldn't be similar to Kelly's previous offensive units, but he believes he has the knowledge and tools to create a good offense at Ohio State.
Urban Meyer believes Chip Kelly will be a perfect fit for Ohio State
Meyer also described Kelly's transformation as a coach through the years:
“I’ll tell you, Colin, this is something for you to really watch closely, I know we will at Big Noon Kickoff," Meyer said. "Chip Kelly, I’ve known Chip forever. We’re very close, we’ve spent a lot of time together going over the spread offense. And his philosophy back in the day at Oregon as a head coach and a coordinator was go as fast as you can.
“That evolved when he went to the NFL and it’s really evolved when he went to UCLA... He is now the perfect play guy, he is the guy that is going to huddle, take your time and get the perfect play on. That is drastically different than what he was as a head coach at Oregon. I’m anxious to see it,” he added.
He added that he had seen plenty of film of UCLA under Chip Kelly. Meyer described the unit as a physical one, with no fear of running the ball and using their quarterback's widest range of abilities. Meyer also believes that quarterback Will Howard could fit pretty well in a scheme similar to what Kelly did at UCLA.
How do you think Chip Kelley's offense at Ohio State will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.