Former Ohio State Play Caller Headed Back to Columbus For Saturday's Massive Game

The last time that the Ohio State Buckeyes had an offense that could compete for a National Championship was all the way back in 2024 under Chip Kelly.

Kelly came to Ohio State to take over the play-calling duties from Brian Hartline, who would be demoted to the assistant offensive coordinator position. Kelly and Ryan Day had a very long history together, dating back over 10 years to when Kelly got his first NFL opportunity.

He joined the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff as the quarterbacks coach for the Eagles while Kelly was the head coach. When Kelly was fired and then re-hired by the San Francisco 49ers, he brought Day with him to the West Coast.

Day returned the favor for Kelly when he hired him on at Ohio State in 2024.

That's just their coaching history. Their friendship and mentorship began all the way back in 1999 at the University of New Hampshire, when freshman quarterback Ryan Day began his college career playing for his position coach and offensive coordinator- yep, Chip Kelly.

These two go back as long as they can remember, and they now get to compete against each other for the first time.

There is another wrinkle to this whole thing, and that is the consideration for Kelly to maybe come back to Columbus if things don't work out this year for Arthur Smith. 

The Buckeyes' offense has been both stagnant and bad this year, to the point that this season is on the brink of being lost, if it isn't already. There is enough blame to go around, but a lot of it begins on the offensive side of the ball. 

Day was asked about that and whether he had considered Kelly last year when he was hiring, and he avoided the question like the plague. He danced his way around, not so gracefully, I might add, which, reading between the lines, made it very obvious that there was something there.

It will be the first time in their careers that they will be going against each other, and the game couldn't be bigger for both programs. For Northwestern, they have an opportunity to slay the giant and catapult themselves into a new stratosphere in the college football landscape.

The Buckeyes, on the other hand, are on thin ice, and they need a win at all costs. A loss to Northwestern would be a major red flag for this program and the direction that it is heading in. 

Wouldn't it be poetic if Kelly was the one to do it. Saturday means a lot, even though it might not have an impact on anything at all.