Former Patriots OC Bill O’Brien Leaves Ohio State for HC Job.
Boston College became a latecomer to the college football coaching carousel when coach Jeff Hafley abruptly quit to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator on January 31. BC announced on Friday that Bill O’Brien, the Ohio State offensive coordinator, would replace Hafley. O’Brien’s time at Ohio State expires in less than three weeks.
He was hired to help rebuild Ryan Day’s program in Columbus after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick. The Buckeyes are apparently replacing him with Chip Kelly, another coaching veteran. O’Brien offers extensive experience at Chestnut Hill.
He coached the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, guiding the team to four playoff appearances in seven seasons while also serving as general manager for one season. He was 52-48 during the regular season and 2-4 in the playoffs for Houston.
Prior to that, he was a successful two-year coach at Penn State, helping to restore the program after Joe Paterno was ousted due to the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. O’Brien led the Nittany Lions to a 15-9 record (10-6 in Big Ten play).
The 54-year-old is deeply connected to the Boston area. He was born in the city and reared in neighboring Andover, Massachusetts. He studied and coached at Brown University in Rhode Island.
He worked on Belichick’s Patriots staff from 2007 to 2011, rejoining in 2023. Outside of the Northeast, he has worked at Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke, and from 2021 to 2022, he was Alabama’s offensive coordinator under Nick Saban.
Under Hafley, Boston College finished 7-6 (3-5 ACC), including a win against future ACC foe SMU in the Fenway Bowl. Hafley spent four years with the Eagles, going 22-26 (12-22 in ACC play).
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