"Have Chip Kelly's fingerprints all over the national title run": CFB insider hails former Ohio State OC's impact after his shocking exit

Ohio State watched its defensive coordinator leave for a conference rival. Now, the Buckeyes saw offensive coordinator Chip Kelly head back to the NFL to join Pete Carroll with the Las Vegas Raiders. The mansion that sits in Columbus will need some touching up.

On3's J.D. Pickell talked about what Kelly is leaving behind and how it will affect Ryan Day's program. He said on Monday (2:49):

"You have Chip Kelly's fingerprints all over this national title run, to be clear. While it's not a small loss, I don't think at a place like Ohio State you are somehow in a wanting position so much when it comes to your offensive coordinator.

"I said the same thing about the DC spot when that became available when Jim Knowles took the Penn State job. My comp there was, 'Ohio State's like a mansion, and having to hire a DC in that context is like having to remodel a kitchen.' It's a pain, it's not fun to do; it's kind of agonizing in a lot of ways, but you have a big budget.'"

PicKell kept with the home makeover theme in referring to the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator job.

"This to me is like remodeling the living room of a mansion," PicKell said. "Same deal. Big budget, you're still Ohio State, you're still a nice house. ... It will be a little bit more splashy, though. You walk into Ohio State in the context of this metaphor and you're like, 'Okay, they've always been a force offensively.'

"Even years where they weren't winning a national championship, we still talk about quarterback play, we talk about the receivers, we talk about what they were doing when it comes to points per game."

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How will Ohio State move forward?

PicKell has a suggestion as to who should slide into the vacant position left by Kelly. The Buckeyes would just stay in-house — no pun intended — if they listen to him.

"I think it's Brian Hartline, wide receivers coach for Ohio State," PicKell said. "Whenever you win a national championship, regardless of who you are, I am very big on keeping what worked from that national title in-house as much the same as possible.

"Like, Brian Hartline was around for that entire run. ... That's a guy who, quite frankly, if it's not now, when is he gonna be given the play calling responsibilities?"

PicKell believes that Hartline has goals of advancing his career and one day become a coach himself. He also said that the offense would have had to look different next season anyway, with all of the talent that's headed out. Maybe the best player in the country, though, Jeremiah Smith, remains, which alone should make it a desirable job.