A year ago, Ohio State was content with its coaching staff, with Ryan Day as the head coach, Jim Knowles as the defensive coordinator, and Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator. That combination is what helped the Buckeyes win their first National Championship in 10 years.
After that win, suddenly it felt like everything was fracturing. Knowles left the Buckeyes for Penn State, and Kelly left college football altogether for a job with the Las Vegas Raiders. Clearly, it didn't work out for either coordinator as Knowles struggled in his first season with the Nittany Lions and Kelly was fired by the Raiders before even completing the season.
Now, Kelly is heading back to the Big Ten, but it is a major downgrade from the great Buckeyes he was once with. ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported that Northwestern was hiring Kelly as its next offensive coordinator.
Sources: Northwestern is hiring veteran coach Chip Kelly as the school’s new offensive coordinator. He’s a two-time college (Oregon/UCLA) and NFL head coach (Philly/SF) who brings an expertise in varying systems and personnel, which was appealing to Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/sMqTqrfpau
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 30, 2025
Kelly will bring a lot of experience to the job at Northwestern after having been the head coach at Oregon and UCLA, as well as a head coach in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers.
The kicker to all of this is that now, Kelly will have to face the Buckeyes in his first season with Northwestern. The Wildcats are set to visit the Buckeyes next season in Columbus, meaning it may not be the homecoming that Kelly was hoping for after winning a title with Ohio State.
While Northwestern is a school that could be on the up in college football, they have a long way to go until they can fully compete with Ohio State. Now, Kelly gets to start his new job while watching the Buckeyes compete for another National Championship in the College Football Playoff this week.