LOS ANGELES — The Kelly household was full on Christmas Eve.
Chip Kelly, Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, had invited all of the quarterback room and their families into his home to celebrate the holiday with his wife and dogs.
“I know as a head coach he missed being able to interact with kids and having a room,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said. “I know that was part of the reason why he came here.”
The Buckeyes have embraced Kelly and the coach has returned the enthusiasm after spending six seasons as UCLA’s head football coach before stepping down in early February.
Kelly has turned a new page at Ohio State and quarterbacks have fully bought into his offense and coaching philosophies. It will be a full-circle moment for him when he returns to the Rose Bowl for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday.
He’ll also be coaching against Oregon, a program he was part of from 2007 to 2012 as both an offensive coordinator and head coach.
“Gotta get more sunscreen looking at the weather report because we haven’t seen the sun in a while out here in Columbus,” Kelly joked during a press conference on Saturday. “I think more importantly, the game itself and the Rose Bowl itself is such an iconic place and such a special place to play. To be at that 2 p.m. kickoff on the West Coast on Jan. 1, it’s special.”
Kelly is having fun with the Buckeyes. The Golden Tee Golf arcade game at his home was a favorite of players on Christmas Eve and Kelly’s wife gifted custom jackets to each of the quarterbacks emblazoned with nicknames and inside jokes throughout the season.
The quarterback room is brimming with humor. Chad Ray, for example, was given the nickname “field goal” because he was regularly pulled out of meetings to take part in field goal drills. Kelly cracked jokes every Friday when players took part in weekly college football “pick-em” contests.
“He’s the best,” said quarterback Devin Brown, who battled for the starting spot. “He’s super easygoing, super fun and loving. (He and his wife are) great people and they’ll accept you for whatever and if you ever need anything, there’s no hesitation to go to them.”
Ohio State is averaging 427.3 yards of total offense per game under Kelly — which ranks 14th nationally. Howard is the top quarterback in the country in terms of completion percentage at 82.8%.
“A lot of the stuff that he does is just different,” Howard said of Kelly’s offense. “Stuff that you wouldn’t even really think of. It’s cool and it’s creative and it’s brought life to this offense. It makes me able to critically think a little more and he’s pushed me to see outside the box a little more on some things schematically.”
Kelly told reporters that transitioning from head coach to a more specific role in the offense has allowed him to focus more on football and less on the multiple duties that a college football coach can have like attending multiple meetings and speaking with media.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed being back in the meeting room with players on a day-to-day basis. As a head coach you bounce around to different meeting rooms but as the coordinator you’re with the quarterbacks all the time, so I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it.”
The coach appears fulfilled in Ohio and the Buckeyes could compete for a national championship if they can beat Oregon on New Year’s Day in their second matchup of the season. Ohio State fell to the Ducks in mid-October, 32-31.
Beyond that, both Howard and Brown feel prepared to move into the NFL ranks after coaching from Kelly.
“This whole year, working with him and getting coaching for him and (head coach Ryan) Day and (offensive analyst) Billy Fessler and (assistant coach) Riley Larkin — those guys have changed me into a different player,” Howard said.
“I’m telling you, those guys have given me some life lessons and some lessons on the field that I’ll never be able to repay.”