Pete Thamel weighs in on Bill O'Brien's future at Alabama, most likely landing spot

The writing is on the wall for Bill O’Brien’s future at Alabama. After spending the past two seasons as the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator, O’Brien appears to be on his way out amidst reports that he is the top candidate for the same position with the NFL’s New England Patriots.

With the speculation swirling, ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday, saying it would be “a surprise” if O’Brien is still in Tuscaloosa in 2023.

“I think it would be a surprise if Bill O’Brien returned to Alabama, and I would have said that in August,” Thamel said. “He’s lived apart from his family, who still lives in Houston, since he went to Alabama for two seasons there. It has come time for a change. I’ve been told Alabama has been very open with that even to recruits that, ‘It’s highly unlikely Bill O’Brien is going to be our offensive coordinator once you arrive there.'”

In addition to the Patriots job, O’Brien has also been linked to other NFL opening, including with the Tennessee Titans. However, Thamel believes that his ties to New England, where he spent five seasons working under Bill Belichick from 2007-11, could be the deciding factor.

“The Patriots certainly loom as the most obvious destination for Bill O’Brien,” Thamel said. “He’s from Andover originally and he left a job as the offensive coordinator at Duke about 20 years ago to go be a grunt in the Patriots building, and he worked his way up. He has a strong reputation in that building both with Bill Belichick and with the Krafts. So there are NFL OC opportunities for Bill O’Brien, but I think that’s his likely landing spot. I think I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up there.”

The Alabama offense finished among the top 15 teams in yards per play the past two seasons under O’Brien. The program also saw Bryce Young become the first quarterback in Crimson Tide history to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021.

Despite this, the dissatisfaction with O’Brien has been obvious, and it seems as if its best for both sides to move on. If the Crimson Tide do ultimately part ways with O’Brien, it wouldn’t be the first big staff change this offseason, as they already lost defensive coordinator Pete Golding to Ole Miss.