Chip Kelly's track record speaks for itself.

The Raiders' new offensive coordinator most recently served in the same role at Ohio State, venturing away from UCLA after six seasons as head coach. The move paid off, helping lead the Buckeyes to a 14-2 record and the school's first national championship since 2014. Additionally, he took the Oregon Ducks to their first national championship game appearance in 2010.

"It was an incredible viewing throughout the season," Pete Carroll said. "I was watching them all year long, and so I didn't know that we would get a chance to get it done because I didn't know what he was thinking. But I've been a fan of his for a long time. We met way back in the Oregon days when we went against him at SC [University of Southern California] and all that. And at the time when he was setting the pace of the game in a whole different level, it was a really fun relationship. Following that, he used to come see us in Seattle. So, we've had a long-time friendship."

However, there's more that meets the eye into the decision to hire Chip Kelly this offseason. Kelly is one of nine coaches on Carroll's new staff that most recently spent time coaching at the collegiate level.

At the NFL Combine, Carroll revealed the influx of college coaches he's brought onto his staff hasn't been by coincidence.

"The guys coming out of college football have a connection with the players, and not just the ones on their own teams, but the players that they've been playing against, the guys they've seen through recruiting," said Carroll, who has won national championships as a collegiate head coach himself. "They've known these kids that are playing for years, and so in this draft in particular, and as it affected us when we started in Seattle, we really hit it in the middle to lower round picks because I think we had better intel than maybe guys that hadn't had that opportunity to connect to college. So, it's important to me to try to mix that. If you notice we've been able to do that some. It's a real benefit."

It's also no coincidence that several of the players Kelly coached at Ohio State are likely hear their names called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ohio State has the most players of any school invited to the NFL Combine at 15, seven of those players on the offensive side of the football. They were also the only college in the nation to produce two 1,000-yard receivers and two 1,000-yard rushers.

For starters, Kelly brought the most out of quarterback Will Howard, who proceeded to have the best season of his collegiate career after transferring from Kansas State. He went on a tear in the College Football Playoffs, throwing for 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns in four playoff games, all while completing over 75 percent of his passes.

"That move from Coach Kelly, I'm so happy for him. He's one of the best coaches I've had," Howard said. "One of my favorite people I've been around and we've stayed in contact. It'd be amazing to get the opportunity to play for him again. ... He's a great dude and I'm just so happy he got the opportunity that he did and I think that's a really good place."

Howard's top target in their national championship run was Emeka Egbuka, who was a pivotal piece of the Buckeyes' receiving corps over the last four years as he totaled 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. It's also worth mentioning his career-high 81 receptions, which led the Buckeyes in 2024, correlates with Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator.

"I think playing for him, I could see why some of his offenses in the past were so successful," Egbuka said. "He's probably one of the smartest football minds I ever had the pleasure to meet and be coached under. Just everything he did from a weekly standpoint to be able to ensure his victory on Saturday was really why you see why he's so great."

The Ohio State backfield also reaped the benefits of Kelly's offense, with Quinshon Judkins transferring from Ole Miss to split carries with TreVeyon Henderson. The two running backs rushed for over 1,000 yards a piece and compiled 27 touchdowns from scrimmage.

"Great guy, uses me all [over] the field," Judkins said on Kelly. "Having a guy like that in your locker room and in your corner as a coach with that ability to give you so many different opportunities and so many ways to give you the ball, it's amazing to see. So, just to watch him draw things up throughout the year, it was great."

"One of the biggest things is he wants perfection," Henderson said. "Even though we aren't perfect but that's something to strive for. He wants every play to be perfect and if you don't get it perfect, we definitely going to run it again. I just remember hearing his voice when we mess up, 'Run it again!' Just that mindset right there, I love it."

Whether the Silver and Black ultimately choose to draft one of Kelly's former players or not, his influence within the upcoming 2025 draft class can't be ignored.