Ohio State moving to hire Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator

Well, that was quick.

With Bill O'Brien on his way to becoming the head coach at Boston College (but not yet announced, as of this writing), Ohio State is moving to hire Chip Kelly as his replacement, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Kelly has reportedly informed his UCLA team he will no longer be their head coach.

Kelly has been widely linked to Ohio State, due to his clear interest in taking an offensive coordinator position elsewhere (he's interviewed for multiple NFL jobs) and his prior connection to Ryan Day. Kelly was Day's offensive coordinator back when the Ohio State head coach played quarterback at New Hampshire.

Day was also an assistant on Kelly's San Francisco 49ers staff as recently as 2016. 

BC's hiring of O'Brien momentarily closed every FBS head coaching position, but Ohio State's hiring of O'Brien's replacement is set to open another.

Kelly has not been an offensive coordinator since 2007-08, two seasons at Oregon that rocketed him to prominence after 17 seasons coaching small-school ball in the Northeast. The 60-year-old is no longer considered at the cutting edge of offensive philosophy, but he still knows his way around a play-sheet and figures to offer a significant upgrade to Ohio State's run game. UCLA finished top-20 nationally in rushing each of the past three seasons, averaging between 198 and 237 yards per game on the ground and between 4.88 and six yards per carry. 

Ohio State has moved to an "all-in" position in support of Day, following three straight regular seasons that concluded with a loss to Michigan and no Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes secured Kansas State quarterback Will Howard and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins -- the best players at their respective positions in the transfer portal, along with the top overall transfer in Alabama safety Caleb Downs. 

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.