Ryan Day Clears Feelings on Chip Kelly’s $6M NFL Move After OSU HC Breaks Silence on Jim Knowles’ B1G Switch

Late January and early February hit Ryan Day in Columbus like a blitz. Just weeks after Ohio State rolled past Notre Dame 34-23 to lock up their first national title in a decade, the offseason storm rolled in. First, Jim Knowles bounced for Big Ten rivals, and Chip Kelly packed up and headed to the NFL. Two key architects of that title run, gone before spring football even kicked off. 

Chip Kelly’s off to Vegas, teaming up with Pete Carroll and cashing in as the highest-paid OC in the league. Jim Knowles? He’s off to Happy Valley, chasing more freedom to run his defense. So naturally, everyone’s still wondering — What does the Buckeyes’ HC really think about all this?

Well, Ryan Day cleared the air in an interview on 97.1 The Fan FM, posted by WBNS 10TV on April 8. With Kelly’s departure to the league, he wasn’t blindsided at all. “When we talked about it last year, I knew that it was something that he was interested in possibly looking at the NFL again,” he said. “I had no expectations of him staying for more than a year.” Day brought Kelly in with a purpose — help him manage the offense while he stopped calling plays, guide the Buckeyes to a championship, then explore the league again. And that’s exactly how it played out. 

“You come in here, we win a National Championship, and then you have an opportunity to go see what’s out there for yourself in the NFL,” Ryan Day added. “So, not something that surprised me, but happy for him and certainly did a great job when he’s here.” Now, Kelly’s banking $6 million a year, per NFL Network’s Albert Breer, and calling plays for the Raiders. No way he could’ve turned that down! 

Ryan Day wasn’t bitter. He was grateful, even nostalgic. This was evident in his conversation with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt earlier in February. “Just to be able to have a beer in a few years and talk about the year that we had together is gonna be special because we all started together, and this is where I started with him,” he said. “And we went and did that, and what a great story.” You could feel the old New Hampshire vibes between them — coach and player turned national champions! But flip the page, it’s a whole different vibe with Jim Knowles.

Ryan Day is subtle on Jim Knowles’ conversation 

Jim Knowles. The guy who rebuilt Ohio State’s defense into a machine averaging 12.9 points per game. But behind the scenes, it wasn’t all smooth. Sources say Ryan Day started stepping into defensive meetings more after that brutal Week 7 loss to Oregon. Knowles’ creative schemes, like the hybrid “Jack” linebacker position, were never fully embraced in Columbus, thanks to long-standing philosophies from guys like Larry Johnson.

OSU’s offer couldn’t match what Penn State put on the table — $9.3 million and the freedom to fully run his scheme. Knowles reportedly didn’t even get an invite to the Buckeyes’ natty celebration while sorting things out. Ouch! Day, for his part, played it cool — “I’m probably not gonna get into all the details of it all,” he said. “He did a great job for three years, and he’s from Pennsylvania and all those types of things. And so, happy that he’s at a place that he wants to be.”

So yeah, Ryan Day’s championship glow was quickly followed by an offseason shakeup. But if you know anything about this man, it’s that he’s already cooking up the next plan. And like always, the Buckeyes are still dangerous.