Boston College hired former Patriots coach Bill O’Brien.
Bill O’Brien left the Patriots in January to take a job as offensive coordinator with the Ohio State Buckeyes after a grueling second tour of duty in New England. But that didn’t last long.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Boston College is “in the process of closing a deal” to hire O’Brien as the school’s next head coach. According to Kevin Stone of the New England Football Journal, a deal is imminent and has been in the works for more than a week.
This makes perfect sense to O’Brien, whose wife, Colleen, is a BC graduate. Not only did he work for the Patriots, but he has extensive ties to the area, having grown up near Andover, Massachusetts. One of her sons, Michael, plays college baseball at nearby Tufts, and her family planned to stay in the Boston area while she worked. At least Ohio State does, according to Thamel. It’s O’Brien’s return to college after filling in for Penn State legend Joe Paterno in 2012 when the program was troubled by a child abuse scandal.
Despite strict NCAA sanctions that kept them out of Big 10 title games and postseason bowl contention, the Nittany Lions went 15-9 in two seasons in Happy Valley. O’Brien immediately became the Eagles’ highest-profile manager. In addition to his time at Penn State and two stints with the Patriots, he was the head coach of the Houston Texans and was Alabama’s offensive coordinator for two seasons under Nick Saban.
