5 Ohio State stars linked to possible reunion with Chip Kelly | Sporting News

The Ohio State University Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff National Championship Game this year over the University of Notre Dame, and Chip Kelly played a sizable role as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Now he's going back to the NFL to serve as the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator under head coach Pete Carroll, another man who won it all in the college ranks.

Carroll also has ties to Ohio State as the school's secondary coordinator all the way back in 1979.

The two will now be charged with trying to rescue the Raiders from the basement of the football world.

The franchise has long been a laughingstock, and it has reached the playoffs just once since playing in the Super Bowl back in the 2002 campaign.

The Raiders have eight picks in the upcoming draft, including the No.

6 selection.

They have many roster needs, and perhaps Kelly will look for some help there from his former college team, which could yield some contributors for Las Vegas.

Mike Luciano of the FanSided network's Raiders site listed these five Buckeyes as men who could help the silver and black turn things around.

Quinshon Judkins - running back The Raiders were dead last in the NFL this season in total rushing yards and yards per rush attempt.

They badly need a respectable threat at tailback, and if they don't want to go with Boise SDtate University's Ashton Jeanty, Judkins could be an interesting option.

He transferred from the University of Mississippi for the 2024 season, and he contributed 1,060 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns to the national champions.

Luciano called his running style "akin to a bowling ball made out of Bowie knives," and according to Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department, he has some shades of Joe Mixon or Kareem Hunt in him who has the burst and speed to avoid tackles.

(Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) Donovan Jackson - offensive lineman One key to Las Vegas revitalizing its running game will be improving its offensive line.

That offensive line also allowed 50 sacks in 2024, the eighth-highest total in the NFL, and Jackson could help shore up its pass protection.

He has four years of college experience, all of them coming with the Buckeyes, and he was named to the All-Big Ten first team for the 2024 campaign.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein feels Jackson can become a solid starter by his third pro season.

TreVeyon Henderson - running back Henderson and Judkins formed quite a tag-team duo in the offensive backfield for the Buckeyes this season.

Henderson is a couple of inches shortly than Judkins, but he is explosive and dynamic, and he could become a solid change-of-pace backup running back at the next level.

Emeka Egbuka - wide receiver The Raiders don't need a pass-catcher as badly as they need help at other positions.

Tight end Brock Bowers had a dynamite rookie season, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers collected 1,027 receiving yards in 2024.

But if they see potential in Egbuka, perhaps they should snatch him at the right time in the draft.

Free from the shadow of Marvin Harrison Jr.

this season, he caught 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns.

During the College Football Playoff National Championship game, he surpassed K.J.

Hill to become the Buckeyes' all-time leader in receptions.

He may not be able to play the X position in the pros, but Zierlein projects him as a good slot receiver.

Will Howard - quarterback The Raiders need a quarterback as badly as any team in the league.

Howard isn't as dazzling or attractive a prospect as Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, but he has a powerful arm and plenty of athleticism.

At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he has the type of size scouts love to see in an NFL prospect, and his accuracy (he completed 73.0 percent of his pass attempts this season) adds to his promise.

He threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2024, and in the national championship game, he completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 231 yards and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards on the ground, which earned him the Offensive MVP.

He may ideally be a Day 3 selection, but given the dearth of promising QBs in this year's draft, perhaps Kelly and the Raiders may want to take a chance on him before the final rounds take place..

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