Ohio State Football Notebook: 'Don't count your reps, make your reps count'

Next Question!

Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day said last week that he’d prefer to have the quarterback competition settled within the first two weeks of practice. Will Howard and Devin Brown have both received solid reviews from onlookers, which begs the question of whether or not a starter will be named in the timeframe that Day would like.

Speaking with reporters following practice on Tuesday, Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was asked if things were progressing in a way that could see a starter named in the first two weeks of practice.

“That’s a great question by you,” Kelly said laughing. “And I know exactly where you’re going with that, so… I don’t have an answer for you.”

Kelly was then asked instead if he was ready to name a backup quarterback.

“That’s a good question, too. That’s a great way to phrase it,” he said laughing before moving on to the next question.

Make ‘Em Count

Tuesday was the fifth Ohio State football practice of fall camp. The players moved into the team hotel on Monday, which truly marks the start of the camp atmosphere.

Practices were open to the media last week and the open quarterback competition was watched like a hawk by everyone on hand. Copious notes were taken by all on hand and many conclusions were drawn.

After Tuesday’s practice, however, Kelly cautioned the media about drawing too many conclusions about who was repping with which lineup. He also tells his quarterbacks something similar.

“As I told the players, ‘Don’t count your reps, make your reps count,’ and I think they’re doing a good job, all of them,” he said.

Big Speed Kills

In his time at Oregon, Chip Kelly was known for having the kind of speed on offense that put an immense amount of fear in defenses. The Ducks would attack from all angles, gaining advantages all over the field. The amount of stress on a defense required those players to be mistake-free because one mistake could lead to a 60-yard touchdown.

How does this Ohio State team stack up to the speed he’s had over the years?

“I mean, this team can run,” Kelly said. “Now, there’s no [2024 Olympic Gold Medalist] Noah Lyles. But I mean, he went 27.1 miles per hour. Coach Day showed that in a meeting, talked about where he was and how he finished. There’s a great lesson there. But there’s a lot of guys at a lot of positions that can run.”

And when Kelly is talking about speed, he’s not just talking about running backs and wide receivers.

“The guys that are the most impressive to me are the big guys that can really run,” he said. “We got some bigger guys. Will Howard’s a great example. Will went 22 miles an hour this summer at 237 pounds. So we’ve got a bunch of guys who can move.”

The Best Ability Is Adaptability

Ryan Day brought a modern passing game to Ohio State when he was hired by Urban Meyer to be the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator in 2017. The change didn’t happen overnight but has led to a string of record-breaking quarterbacks since his arrival.

And yet despite the implementation of a more powerful passing game, the identity of the offense has been dependent upon the players on hand. With Justin Fields, the Buckeyes were more run-heavy. With Dwayne Haskins and CJ Stroud, they were pass-heavy. That adaptation to the talent on hand will continue now with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who has a storied history of success in college football.

Day and Kelly have worked together in the past and Day recently commented about Kelly’s changes in offensive philosophy over the years. According to Kelly, however, the changes are based on personnel more than anything.

“I think your philosophy is always built upon who your players are,” Kelly said on Tuesday. “So the last time we were together, we had different personnel, you know? So you’re just always trying to feature what do you do really well, and then trying to mask what you don’t do really well. So I think it’s always morphed.”

Every coach has to consider what the quarterback can do, where the strengths of the skill players are, what can the offensive line handle, and how would these practices affect your own defense.

“Sometimes you’re more of a run RPO team. Other times you’re more of a spread them out, throw the ball down the field, and then you’re running screen and draws,” Kelly said. “It just really depends on your personnel. So I think maybe that’s how it’s changed a little bit, and our personnel has been different. So you get to learn some new things to adapt it to your personnel.”

What’s the strength of this offense and what do they do well?

“Well, that’s good thing about this place, you know? I don’t think there’s one singular thing,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of talent in the quarterback room. Talent in the running back room. There’s obviously a lot of talent in the wide receiver room. So I think there’s going to be a good balance.”