Bill O'Brien reveals stark reality of post-Texans job hunt

After a tumultuous end to his time as the Houston Texans head coach and general manager, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien seemingly landed on his feet. But it might not have always seemed like it would turn out that way.

On Tuesday, ahead of the Tide’s Cotton Bowl date with Cincinnati, the 52-year-old former head coach offered some insight into his transition back to college football and how Alabama head coach Nick Saban threw him a line after he left Houston.

“I think that’s part of these careers,” O’Brien said of coaching. “When you enter into this profession, you start up and you start to climb the ladder, that kind of comes with the territory. Like I’ve said before, it’s not really my first rodeo.”

O’Brien, 52, began his coaching career at Brown, his alma mater, and had assistant coaching stints at Georgia Tech, Maryland, Duke and with the New England Patriots. His first head coaching job came in 2012, and he was at the helm at Penn State for two years before heading to the Texans. From 2014-2020, O’Brien won the AFC South four times. He was fired in 2020 after an 0-4 start.

O’Brien got just one call after leaving Houston

“I’ve been very, very excited about the opportunity, and I’ve said this to several people around the program: I’m very grateful to Coach Saban for this opportunity,” O’Brien added. “It was the only phone call I got last year. He had a job opportunity for me, and I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. The players that we have here have been awesome, the coaching staff. It’s just been a rewarding year for me personally.”

O’Brien replaced former coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who took over the Texas program. He certainly has had immense success in his first year as the Tide’s offensive guru. Alabama averaged an SEC-best 42.2 points per game, and they were sixth nationally in total offense despite losing nearly their entire 2020 offense to the NFL. Further, O’Brien helped groom Alabama’s first Heisman-winning quarterback, Bryce Young.

O’Brien, who was a rumored candidate for a plethora of open Power Five coaching jobs this cycle, hopes to have at least two additional games with Alabama. To get to a second game, they have to top an undefeated Cincinnati team first.

O’Brien and Young will be tasked with figuring out a way to overcome Cincinnati’s strengths in the secondary. Led by cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant, the unit allowed just 168.3 passing yards per game this season, which is second in the country.

The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN on Dec. 31.