Before the 2024 college football season began, Desmond Howard already had Ohio State coach Ryan Day on the hot seat.
Howard, a former Michigan wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner and college football commentator for ESPN, said in an appearance on “Get Up” on Friday that Ohio State “put everything on the middle of the table” and spent “about $13 million on free agents” through the transfer portal and name, image and likeness.
But Howard wasn’t satisfied with that.
Not only did Howard say that Day’s job was on the line, he also shared the conspiracy theory that Ohio State already had a contingency plan.
“Some fans will say, ‘If we get rid of Ryan Day, who would we hire?'” Howard asked. “They hired Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, so if something goes wrong, I think they have someone behind them … Ryan Day, who they say, ‘Chip Kelly can be the next coach, too.’ I think Ryan Day is on the hot seat right now.”
In his first press conference as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly shared his feelings about arriving in Columbus by telling a story about a school assignment and John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles.
“He said, ‘I want to be happy,'” Kelly said. “His teacher said, ‘I don’t think you understand the assignment,’ and his mother said, ‘I don’t think you understand life.'”
“I just want to be happy. And I’m really happy to be coaching a position and really happy to be in this place.”
During his time as head coach at Oregon and UCLA, Kelly recorded 81 wins in 122 games, including three bowl wins in six tries.
Kelly’s teams at UCLA finished the season 35-34. The Bruins beat Boise State in the 2023 LA Bowl but lost to Pittsburgh in the 2022 Sun Bowl.
Ohio State opens the 2023 season on August 31 at 3:30 p.m. against Akron.
Ohio State Football Schedule 2024
- August 31: Ohio State vs. Akron; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- September 7: Ohio State vs. Western Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- September 21: Ohio State vs. Marshall; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- September 28: Ohio State at Michigan State; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- October 5: Ohio State vs. Iowa; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- October 12: Ohio State at Oregon; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
- October 26: Ohio State vs. Nebraska; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 2: Ohio State at Penn State; Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
- November 9: Ohio State vs. Purdue; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 16: Ohio State at Northwestern; Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- November 23: Ohio State vs. Indiana; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 30: Ohio State vs. Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
