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Sources: Ohio State is set to hire longtime NFL head coach Bill O’Brien as the school’s new offensive coordinator. O’Brien served last season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2023 and has been the head coach at the Texans and in the Big Ten at Penn State. pic.twitter.com/19e2iXv6oe
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 19, 2024
Before serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, O’Brien coached the Houston Texans for seven seasons. As a sophomore, O’Brien assisted Bryce Young of the Crimson Tide in winning the Heisman Trophy. Young went on to be selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft. After rejoining the NFL as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo, O’Brien is returning to collegiate football.
This is obviously a strange one for Penn State fans. It’s not common for your former head coach to take on the role of assistant coach at your main rival. Though I will always treasure and enjoy the times I spent with BOB, it is disgusting to think that he will wear scarlet and grey when he plays in Beaver Stadium the following season.
Oddly enough, the college football world does *not* seem to love this hire for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has hired Ross Bjork and Bill O’Brien in the last 48 hours. Are we sure they aren’t a danger to themselves and others?
— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) January 19, 2024
“Why does everything on offense seem so hard?”
This was the common question asked during the Bill O’Brien era with a future #1 overall draft pick at QB.
Ohio State fans are going to be in inconsistent hell all season, especially in big games. https://t.co/bbG1ke6xup pic.twitter.com/7xXFA54u9j
— Landon Beamon (@LandonBeamon11) January 19, 2024
Quinshon Judkins realizing he went from Lane Kiffin to Bill O’Brien in the span of a week (no takesies-backsies) pic.twitter.com/aP6Hqie35g
— Marshall Andrzejewski (@MarshallAndrzej) January 19, 2024
In my opinion, O’Brien is a good addition, even though it’s not the glamorous addition that Ohio State supporters may have been expecting for. Above all, though, I believe that he fits strangely with the direction that Ohio State’s offense was taking. Emeka Egbuka is back, for sure, but this offense appears to be more of a run-focused spread assault with Quinshon Judkins leaving, TreVeyon Henderson returning, and Will Howard joining from Kansas State. O’Brien might not fit in with that entirely.
In any case, consider a scenario where Bill O’Brien and Larry Johnson Sr. were still coaching together at a collegiate program in January 2012. Odd how life unfolds.
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