Ohio State announces Bill O'Brien as new OC, updated roles for Brian Hartline, Corey Dennis

Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day formally announced on Friday that long time NFL and college coach Bill O’Brien will serve as the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator. The move was first reported on Thursday evening.

Brian Hartline, who has coached receivers for years in Columbus and was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2023, will remain as a co-offensive coordinator, per a release. Quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis is expected to slot into a yet-to-be-determined role.

O’Brien most recently served as an offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots before joining the Ohio State staff. He’s got extensive experience at both levels.

In the professional game, O’Brien has been the head coach of the Houston Texans and served two stints on the staff for the Patriots. He’s also been a college head coach before, spending the 2012 and 2013 seasons leading Penn State before getting hired by the Texans.

In seven seasons in Houston, O’Brien was generally successful. He reached the playoffs four times and lead the Texans to a winning record five times. He finished his run in Houston with a 52-48 record.

After O’Brien’s tenure in Houston ended after a rapid collapse — he was fired less than two years removed from guiding the Texans to the AFC Divisional round — he joined the Alabama coaching staff under Nick Saban. O’Brien’s two seasons helming the offense in Tuscaloosa were highly successful as the partnership between him and quarterback Bryce Young was fruitful.

Alabama played in the national championship and Young won the Heisman in 2021, and the Crimson Tide still went 11-2 and fielded another strong offense in a 2022 campaign that didn’t quite meet expectations. Wideout Jameson Williams also finished as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in 2021.

O’Brien parlayed the success at Alabama into a second stint coordinating the offense for the Patriots for the 2023 season.

At Ohio State, the challenge for O’Brien and the rest of the coaches is simple: Get the Buckeyes over the hump and contending for a national championship in 2024. With oodles of defensive talent returning, plus a handful of pieces coming back on offense along side some transfer talent infusion, the Buckeyes are comfortable early favorites to recapture the Big Ten after a three-year break from winning the league.

If O’Brien and Co. can get transfer quarterback Will Howard playing at a high level, all of the pieces are in place for the Buckeyes to put together a championship-caliber team in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.