What Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Said About Oregon Ducks, Chip Kelly: 'I Trust Chip With My Life'

The Big Ten Conference Media Days are underway at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the Oregon Ducks Football program is a topic of conversation. What Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Rutgers’ coach Greg Schiano, Wisconsin Badgers coach Luke Fickell, Northwestern coach David Braun, Illinois’ coach Bret Bielema and Purdue Boilmakers coach Ryan Walters said about the Ducks.

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

As the giant inflatable Oregon Duck looms over the waters of Indianapolis like a mallard-shaped version of the Death Star, the Big Ten Conference kicked off their media days. Over three days each of Big Ten’s current and future teams will discuss their brands and thoughts regarding the next football season.

Today, the teams under the microscope were Illinois, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue, and Ohio State University.

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Before each organization discussed their programs, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti made opening remarks. The Oregon Ducks Football Program ended up being mentioned several times, especially since they’ll officially join the conference on August second with UCLA, USC, and Washington. He highlights the athletic and academic achievements of all four teams including the number of Olympians, Heisman winners, and College Football Hall of Famers.

“Our staff has focused on working with all four institutions to ensure they hit the ground running this summer,” said Petitti. “This includes extensive collaboration with our coaching groups on scheduling and championship formats, marketing and branding alignment and integration into the Big Ten Academic Alliance.”

Petitti further introduced each new Big Ten head coach, including Oregon Football coach Dan Lanning. He discussed the legal and financial implications surrounding the new landscape of college football, before closing his initial remarks with the marquee games of the upcoming season; the first mentioned being Oregon versus Ohio State. During the question and answer session, Pettiti did not reference Oregon specifically. He simply mentioned each new West Coast team in a group.

The first school up to bat was Illinois’ head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema views the addition of West Coast teams, specifically the Ducks, as a positive for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

“Really, really excited for our conference,” said Bielema. “I know a lot of people have different views on expansion. But for me as a head coach, I'm looking at a schedule this year where I play a game on the East Coast against Rutgers and Penn State, and then we play a game on the West Coast against Oregon… Just a really neat time to have an environment such as this in the conference.”

Next up to the podium was Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. When asked about the added competition of Oregon in the 2024 season, Schiano centered the question around Rutgers’ legacy.

“Well, look, I don't try to hide from who we are or what we are. We've been playing football longer than anybody else on the planet,” Schiano said.

He later stated, “We need to stay focused on the moment right here, but certainly looking forward to the season ahead and the new people that are coming into the league. It's just great.”

Schiano also referenced his experience as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012 to 2013 as an asset to already being used to coaching traveling teams to places like Seattle. That may come in handy when traveling to Eugene in the future.

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Badgers coach Luke Fickell was one of few coaches not to mention Oregon by name, but did reflect on the newcomers as the former latest addition to the Big Ten before the former PAC-12 newbies.

“I'm more excited about the things that are in front of us for the University of Wisconsin, for our football program, and for myself in particular about what these new history we can create, what these new traditions are that we can create with these new rivalries we are going to be creating with what I call this coast-to-coast Big Ten,” Fickell said “I think it's incredibly exciting to be a part of, and I know for some traditionalists, with all the things that I have always understood about the Big Ten, that we're not losing those things. We're only growing. We're only gaining. We're only starting to add to some new histories and traditions and rivalries that I think are going to make our sport that much better.”

First time head coach representing Northwestern David Braun was up next. He also addressed the excitement of brand new competition with the addition of the new West Coast teams, including Oregon.

“I say that to also say; very excited and thrilled for what's ahead of this program and attacking some of the challenges that exist within navigating a new time in college football and finding ways to keep the Cats at our best as we continue to move forward,” Braun said in his opening remarks.

Ryan Walters, coach for the Purdue Boilermakers, was asked right off the top of the question and answer portion how he felt about the new Big Ten Additions. He gave a pretty candid answer.

“I think the -- to answer your first question, anytime you add four teams, like an Oregon, a USC, a UCLA, and a Washington, to the Big Ten Conference, it's just going to add to the prestige, add to the strength of the Big Ten Conference. Those are great storied programs with great coaching staffs and great players, and I'm looking forward to competing against them year in and year out,” Walters said.

Finally, there was Ducks fans’ arguably most anticipated coach interview of the day: The Ohio State University’s coach Ryan Day. Not only did Day have the option to address the addition of Oregon in the Big Ten, he also had to address the addition of former Oregon coach Chip Kelly as his new Offensive Coordinator. Day chose to only address the latter.

“Chip is here for a reason, to run the offense, but I think it's my job as the head coach to look on the horizon and figure out what's coming,” Day said. “The great thing for he and I is we see things the same way, and we've been in the same offense together in our careers. I think there will be a lot of that. Chip is one of the best offensive minds in the history of college football, in my opinion, and he's a great play-caller. He's got to do that. He just has to go and get a feel for our guys and let them call it.”

Day went on to applaud Kelly’s spread offense and quick no-huddle play set-ups at Oregon. He also addressed Kelly’s use of jumbo packages with three tight ends at UCLA, showing the coach’s versatility in schemes.

“I trust Chip with my life, and that's a big part of any time you are handing something over like that that you have done almost your entire career,” Day said.

Tomorrow, head coaches for UCLA, Iowa, Michigan State, USC, Nebraska, and Penn State will take the podium.