Scarlet Sunrise: Now at BC, Bill O'Brien thanks Ryan Day for his patience and understanding

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During intro presser at BC, Bill O’Brien thanks Ryan Day for his patience and understanding

The Boston College job was something Bill O’Brien dreamed about in his career.

So when former BC head coach — and one-time Ohio State co-defensive coordinator — Jeff Hafley surprisingly left to become the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator on Jan. 31, and O’Brien’s phone “blew up a little bit,” he quickly knew it was a “no-brainer” for him to pursue the opportunity in Chestnut Hill, he told reporters in a breakout media session.

When the Hafley news broke, O’Brien was still in Columbus, just a couple weeks into his stay at Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

His wife Colleen, a BC grad, was looking for a house at the time.

But, after a thorough BC interview process — which included three stages (phone interview and two in-person interviews, including a meeting with BC president Father William P. Leahy, S.J.) — O’Brien and his wife returned home for what he confirmed Thursday is his “destination job.”

“I really want to thank Ryan Day, the head football coach at Ohio State, for his patience and his understanding of why it was so important for me to pursue this job,” O’Brien said Thursday. “A lot of people here at Boston College are familiar with Ryan Day. Ryan Day is an outstanding person, an outstanding coach and he was great during this whole process.”

Day, of course, had three different stints at BC. The Manchester, New Hampshire, native was a BC graduate assistant in 2003-04, a wide receivers coach there from 2007-11 and then the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2013-14.

For O’Brien, returning to Boston made sense. He’s known for his ties to the New England Patriots, ultimately serving as the Pats’ OC twice. But O’Brien’s from the area and went to St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, before playing and then coaching at Brown. His son Michael plays college baseball at nearby Tufts, and his other son Jack has lissencephaly, a rare congenital brain condition that he receives care for at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“Growing up outside of Boston with my family as a lifelong BC fan, a lot of us went to Brown, but we were secret Boston College fans, I promise you,” O’Brien said. “I went into coaching in 1993 when I got out of Brown. I went into coaching at Brown, and I always dreamed about being the head coach at Boston College.

“My career has taken some twists and turns and taken me down roads I never could have imagined, but as I stand here today, I couldn’t be more grateful that the road has finally taken me back home to Boston College.”

The same day O’Brien accepted the BC head coaching job, Ohio State hired former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly to take over as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Day reunited with his old mentor, Kelly, while O’Brien returned home to Boston.

Buckeyes promote James Laurinaitis to full-time coaching role

Ohio State promoted James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach Thursday after Laurinaitis served as an assistant linebackers coach and graduate assistant last year.

Laurinaitis is still new to coaching, but his playing career speaks for itself. A legendary Buckeyes player, Laurinaitis was a three-time consensus All-American from 2006-08. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year twice, and he played in two national title games at Ohio State.

Laurinaitis was a second-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and played eight seasons in the league, including seven with the then-St. Louis Rams. He racked up 869 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, 35 passes deflected and two forced fumbles in his pro career. Laurinaitis eventually turned to coaching after pursuing a career in Columbus sports radio as well as color commentary for the Big Ten Network.

He was part of the Notre Dame staff in 2022 and then got an opportunity with Ohio State ahead of last season. With Laurinaitis’ promotion, the 2024 Buckeyes 10-assistant, on-field staff is set.

For more details, go here.

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Second-year spotlight: Buckeyes with something to prove in spring ball

Spring football is around the corner, and Lettermen Row is continuing to preview what’s to come with four second-year Buckeyes who could have something to prove this spring.

Some of those players weren’t on campus this time last year. Others were.

Year Two is when a lot of college football players break out, especially at Ohio State, where developmental redshirt freshman years are common.

Here’s who to watch from the 2023 class when March rolls around.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 197 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 288 days

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