How much does Chip Kelly make? Ohio State OC salary, contract and more

Trading a head coaching role for an offensive coordinator gig may seem like a downgrade, but for Chip Kelly, it’s been a brilliant move. After parting ways with UCLA, Kelly joined Ryan Day at Ohio State in 2024 and reunited with his former Eagles quarterbacks coach. Their history made the transition seamless, and Kelly wasted no time reinvigorating the Buckeyes’ offense with his trademark creativity.

Despite leaving the Bruins, Kelly’s decision to join Ohio State last winter has been nothing but rewarding. Sure, there was the tough loss to Michigan — arguably his toughest play-calling performance — but Kelly bounced back and steered the Buckeyes to an outstanding season. At 13-2, Ohio State didn’t just win games; they made their mark with Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl victories.

Kelly’s magic was all over the Buckeyes’ offense, from developing stars like Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith to leading the team to an impressive 7.3 average yards per carry. game for the season. It’s clear that his innovative schemes have made a huge impact and turned heads across college football.

For now, Chip Kelly looks like a winner in every sense. The real question is whether Ohio State will give him the recognition — and compensation — he’s earned for reinvigorating their championship-caliber program. Well, Kelly agreed to a three-year contract which included $2 million in base salary per year to take over as Ohio State’s OC. Right now, the former UCLA HC has a deal that runs through Jan. 31, 2027. And according to contracts, The Athletic was able to obtain through public records requests that he would receive $2 million in his first year. Then $2.1 million in his 2nd year and $2.2 million in his 3rd year.

The compensation gap between this and what Kelly made at UCLA is still significant. With the Bruins, he earned about $5.98 million in 2023. And it was his sixth season as a coach. The Bruins finished that season with an 8-5 overall record, but their conference record was just 4-5.

After going 9-4 under Kelly in 2022, UCLA had already extended his contract in March 2023. Kelly would have made more than $6 million had he stayed with the Bruins. But Kelly came in with a resume as a former NFL HC and a standout coach for Oregon, which increased his price tag, even if he didn’t enjoy the success UCLA had hoped for during his stay.

What aspect of Chip Kelly’s coaching career stands out the most?

Chip Kelly made great coaching choices at one point in his career. Kelly was rumored to stay at Oregon in early 2013, but he decided to go after the Philadelphia Eagles instead. He came to the NFL because of his achievements and led the Eagles as head coach from 2013 to 2015.

He then moved to the San Francisco 49ers after losing his job. However, he only stayed there for the 2016 season before losing his job once again. In 2018, following his NFL career, he made a comeback to collegiate football as the coach of the UCLA Bruins. However, Kelly first became known as the coach who guided the Ducks to four consecutive BCS bowl game berths.

Right now, the former head coach is focused on preparing for the national game against Notre Dame. Let’s see about, med two head coaches at the helm, Ohio State can win it all this season.