Kelly, 61, has spent the past seven seasons in college football, including last season as the offensive coordinator for national champion Ohio State. Before that, he was head coach at UCLA for six seasons, going 35-34.
Kelly last coached in the NFL in 2016, when he was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. That one-year stint came after he was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ head coach for three seasons (2013-15). He was 28-35 as an NFL head coach.
The addition of Kelly completes the coordinator hires for Carroll. The Raiders are retaining defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
Kelly becomes the third key assistant to leave the Buckeyes this offseason. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Ohio State for the same role with Penn State and offensive line coach Justin Frye left for the same role with the Arizona Cardinals.
Carroll is returning to the NFL after a one-year hiatus. The former Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and New York Jets head coach was hired in January to replace Antonio Pierce, who was fired following a 4-13 season.
Kelly has long been regarded as a gifted playcaller, having served as a longtime offensive coordinator and innovator at New Hampshire and Oregon. As Kelly moved on to become the head coach at Oregon (2009-12) and then in the NFL, he remained the playcaller, and along the way his offenses shifted from breakneck tempo to a more deliberate NFL style.
