The Ohio State Buckeyes added former NFL head coach Bill O’Brien to their coaching staff last month to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. However, new reports now suggest that he will never even coach a game for the program.
O’Brien’s last coaching stint took place this past season for the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, the Patriots’ offense left a lot to be desired, finishing with the least points scored in all of football.
This led to O’Brien leaving New England to go back to the college game at Ohio State. But it now seems like O’Brien may again be returning to the Boston area to lead his own program instead.
According to Rich Thompson of The Boston Herald, O’Brien and Boston College are down to “the minor details” in talks for him to become their next head coach, with a possible announcement of the move coming on Wednesday.
Heard @BCFootball and Bill O'Brien are down to the minor details. Possible @ACCFootball announcement on Wednesday. @BosHeraldSports. He won't come cheap with a lot of incentives.
— Rich Thompson (@richiet400) February 5, 2024
This is obviously a pretty big loss for Ohio State if O’Brien does indeed depart just weeks after taking the offensive coordinator job with the Buckeyes. But it is a move that most Buckeyes fans seem to understand considering the larger role he will have at Boston College.
If Bill O’Brien goes to BC I have nothing but respect for the decision.
I’m sure Ryan Day already has someone in mind in case this happens.
I have no complaints.
— Matt (@mattklop) February 5, 2024
Can’t hate bill O’Brien one bit for taking the bc job. His son’s doctor is in Boston and if you know anything about the man, he’s supremely dedicated to his family. Best of luck. Thank you for getting Sayin here!
— Drew (@definitelydrewb) February 5, 2024
Bill O'Brien will leave Ohio State as their most successful OC against Michigan in the Ryan Day era what a legend
— Darren (@Dtalksball90) February 5, 2024
Bill O’Brien potentially taking the BC job has some interesting implications
A) It could be that the universe is saving Ryan Day from himself
B) It could be that Day will manage to hire Brian Schottenheimer instead
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) February 5, 2024
Will 100% understand and support Bill O’Brien if he decides to take the BC job because of this.
Family comes first, and rightfully so‼️ https://t.co/cGJerGU4WG
— Buckeye Rationalist (@BuckeyeRational) February 4, 2024
O’Brien hasn’t always been the most successful coach at the NFL level. But he does have high-level coaching experience both at the NFL and college level at numerous different points of his career.
For a school like Boston College to potentially land a coach like Bill O’Brien, it is a pretty impactful move that could completely turn around their program.
As for how this effects Ohio State, the Buckeyes will seemingly need to find a new offensive coordinator now with O’Brien’s sudden departure, which could be a bit difficult considering many potential candidates for the position have already taken other opportunities.
