Bill O'Brien to BC: How former Penn State football coach flees Ohio State, goes home
Bill O'Brien won't be making a Penn State football reunion stop this fall, after all.
Less than a month after deciding to lead Ohio State's offense — and being scheduled to coach in Beaver Stadium for the first time in more than a decade — O'Brien has bolted to lead another college program.
He's going back to his hometown, as the new head coach of the Boston College Eagles. The move comes after BC's Jeff Hafley left to become defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. Cementing O'Brien's week-long rumored deal to BC was first reported Friday by ESPN.
Turns out he's leaving Ohio State before even coaching his first spring practice.
O'Brien has been successful everywhere he's gone — whether leading offenses and coaching quarterbacks in the NFL and in college or leading a program.
His coaching career began to lift off in the NFL, nearly two decades ago now, as New England's offensive coordinator and QB coach for Tom Brady. O'Brien, a Boston native, helped lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 2011 before departing for Penn State.
O'Brien rejoined the Patriots last year for a short-lived reunion under longtime mentor Bill Belichick.
In between, O'Brien famously helped lead Penn State from the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and NCAA sanctions, was head coach of the Houston Texan and worked under Nick Saban at Alabama.
At Houston, he won four AFC South titles — one of just three NFL teams to do that from 2015-2019.
Remembering Bill O'Brien with Penn State football
At Penn State, he stunned the college football world with two winning seasons and national coach of the year honors despite player departures, limited scholarships and a bowl ban.
Though O'Brien lost both of his games to Ohio State, he did produce several memorable victories, including season-enders against Wisconsin and a four-overtime thriller vs. Michigan.
His 2012 team is memorialized on Penn State's Ring of Honor at Beaver Stadium.
He bridged the gap to longstanding head coach James Franklin. The two became friends while working on the same coaching staff at Maryland two decades ago.
The move back to Massachusetts now also seems to make sense, personally, for O'Brien and wife, Colleen, a BC alum. Their son, Jack, has a rare brain condition called lissencephaly and has received treatment in the Boston area.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: How former Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien flees Ohio State
