Urban Meyer explains impact of new Ohio State OC Chip Kelly

College football fans who grew up watching Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks would remember that there were two staples of his offense that made those teams so explosive and fun to watch.

Kelly was ahead of his time when it came to the read-option, using it not only on the ground but to set up the passing attack as well. The other thing that those Oregon teams were known for was their speed. Kelly recruited fast athletes to play for his offenses, ones who operated in and out of the huddle at breakneck and oftentimes no-huddle speed.

It was a thing to see and for years the Ducks were the most exciting offensive show in town.

Both college football and the NFL (to some extent), learned from what Kelly did at Oregon and adapted many of his tactics. As Kelly went on to coach in the NFL and then back to college as head coach at UCLA, his scheme continued to adapt and change as well. Kelly will now bring that experience and strategic philosophy to play in Columbus as offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“This Chip Kelly offense is completely different than the so-called radical offense that he ran when he was the head coach at Oregon,” former Ohio State head coach and current FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer said when discussing OSU's offense with Colin Cowherd (h/t On3 ). “It’s completely different. And I do believe it’s going to help Ohio State. They’ve got the quarterback that fits this scheme."

The Buckeyes do feel they have their quarterback. They just named Kansas State transfer Will Johnson the starter. Not only does he have four years of experience as a college quarterback, but he can be a threat in both in the passing and running game for the Buckeyes.

Howard may not be the athlete that Marcus Mariotta was when he operated Kelly's system at Oregon, but per Meyer, the scheme no longer requires a super-athlete at quarterback.

"I've known Chip forever. We’re very close, we’ve spent a lot of time together going over the spread offense. And his philosophy back in the day at Oregon as a head coach and a coordinator was go as fast as you can. That evolved when he went to the NFL and it’s really evolved when he went to UCLA," Meyer explained. “He is now the perfect play guy. He is the guy that is going to huddle, take your time and get the perfect play on. That is drastically different than what he was as a head coach at Oregon. I’m anxious to see it.”

If Kelly is now looking for the "perfect play" rather than speed, then Howard, with his wealth of experience, is absolutely the perfect fit for Ohio State in 2024.