Four-Star Quarterback Recruit Drops Ohio State After Chip Kelly Bolted For $8 Million Salary In NFL

Brady Smigiel has ruled out a commitment to Ohio State, for now, after Chip Kelly left for the NFL. He will pursue other opportunities to play college football during the continuation of his recruiting process.

The Buckeyes are not too worried about his decision.

Smigiel hails from Newbury Park, California. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, he is rated as a four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2026— which is now the current cycle. Most major recruiting sites rank him behind Faizon Brandon, Ryder Lyons, Jared Curtis, Dia Bell and Landon Duckworth but he is a strong-armed pocket passer with real Sunday potential.

Chip Kelly got an enormous raise to leave Ohio State

As things currently stand, the four-year starting quarterback at Newbury Park High School has 33 scholarship offers from programs all over the country. Smigiel previously committed to play at Florida State back in June but he changed his mind and decommitted at the end of January when Alex Atkins was fired as the offensive coordinator in Tallahassee.

Around that same time, Kelly took a trip out to California as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. The Buckeyes need to add depth at quarterback behind Julian Sayin while also preemptively finding his replacement. Smigiel, fresh off his decommitment, seemed like a good option. Why not see what’s up?

Kelly was named as the new offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders just a few days later. The 61-year-old will get paid $8 million per year.

As a result, Brady Smiegel told On3 that he is no longer interested in Ohio State.

Chip Kelly becomes NFL's highest-paid OC after leaving Ohio State, SI reports

This probably will not be a huge loss for the Buckeyes. They are in competition with Georgia for Jared Curtis, the top-ranked player at the quarterback position. They don’t necessarily need a guy in this class as much as they would like one. Things could also change in the next 10 months.

Still, the departure of Chip Kelly is the primary reason Brady Smiegel is looking at other schools. Will this become a trend?

Ex-Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel gets high-profile job in government

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is set to become Ohio’s next lieutenant governor.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine nominated the national championship head coach who also won six Big Ten titles with the Buckeyes to serve in the post for the remaining two years of his term, DeWine announced on Monday.

Tressel’s nomination now goes to the Ohio House and Senate for approval. The ex coach hopes to replace former Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, whom DeWine picked to fill the senate seat left vacant by JD Vance’s ascension to the Vice Presidency.

“He has the requisite skill sets. He has the criteria that I outlined, he knows Ohio,” DeWine said, per the AP. “Jim Tressel, I trust his judgment. He is a born leader.”

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Tressel resigned from Ohio State amid scandal in 2011 and eventually became president of Youngstown State University, where he coached from 1986 to 2000. The university raised $150 million during his 10 years at the helm. He retired in 2023.

Tressel will focus on education and workforce development during his tenure, DeWine said.

With DeWine forced into a term-limited retirement after his current term, the AP reports he has not discussed with Tressel the possibility of him running for governor.

Chip Kelly got an enormous raise to leave Ohio State

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel pledges ‘singleness of purpose’ as lieutenant governor

The Ohio General Assembly still needs to confirm Tressel, but Republicans hold commanding majorities in both chambers, and, as DeWine is also a Republican, the process is likely a formality.