Ohio State is bringing in some quarterback-coaching assistance for Chip Kelly.
Billy Fessler, who was set to be UCLA’s quarterbacks coach this season until Kelly left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, is reportedly joining the Buckeyes as an offensive analyst, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Chip Kelly hired Fessler as UCLAs QB coach this offseason, and his role was changed there during the staff reshuffling after Kellys departure. Fessler is a former Penn State quarterback.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 16, 2024
Fessler previously worked for the Buckeyes in 2020 and 2021 as an offensive graduate assistant. He left to become Akron’s quarterbacks coach in 2022 and was promoted to offensive coordinator at Akron in 2023 before leaving to join Kelly’s UCLA staff in January.
A former Penn State quarterback, Fessler had been shifted into an analyst role at UCLA after new UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster hired Ted White as quarterbacks coach.
“Billy has earned a reputation for his attention to detail toward the quarterback position. I look forward to seeing what he can accomplish on and off the field with our talented quarterback room,” Kelly said in a press release after hiring Fessler at UCLA in January.
Fessler replaces former Ohio State analyst Todd Fitch, who worked closely with the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks for the past three years before leaving to become a senior offensive analyst at LSU. While analysts are not currently allowed to directly coach players in practices and games, that could change soon as the Division I Council is expected to vote later this month on a proposal to eliminate the limit on the number of on-field coaches.
Either way, the addition of Fessler will give Kelly additional help in coaching Ohio State’s quarterbacks as the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator takes over that duty from former OSU quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and head coach Ryan Day, who is taking on a CEO role in his sixth year as head coach after calling Ohio State’s offensive plays in his first five years as head coach.
