Former Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien officially hired as new Ohio State offensive coordinator
Bill O’Brien will be back in Beaver Stadium this fall. The former Penn State head coach is officially the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State. The Buckeyes announced the news on Friday, and they visit the Nittany Lions on Sat., Nov. 2. By then, O’Brien will have called seven games in scarlet and gray.
“I am extremely pleased to be able to add Bill O’Brien to our coaching staff,” OSU coach Ryan Day said in a news release. “He brings with him a wealth of knowledge – and a tremendous amount of success – at both the NFL and collegiate levels. He is an excellent and experienced offensive coach who has run NFL and Power 5 programs and developed some truly elite players throughout his career. He’ll be an excellent teacher and recruiter for us, and he absolutely strengthens our staff.”
O’Brien, 54, was most recently the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator. He returns to the college ranks for the first time since running the Alabama offense during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Boston native left Penn State after two seasons back in 2014 to become the Houston Texans’ head coach. O’Brien spent seven seasons there before being fired after the 2020 season. He was 15-9 as the Penn State head coach and 52-48 as the leader of the Texans. This will mark his fifth different program as offensive coordinator, dating back to his first opportunity to call plays at Georgia Tech in 2001.
With O’Brien coming on board, Ohio State is making well-known receivers coach Brian Hartline the co-offenisve coordinator, which is a title demotion, and moving quarterbacks coach Cory Dennis into a “still-to-be-determined role with the program,” a news release said.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Biff Poggi
Charlotte firing head coach
- 2Hot
Skipping SEC title game
Coaches prefer sitting out
- 3
Predicting new CFP Top 12
BCS formula predicts 12-team bracket
- 4New
Kiffin calls out Saban
'He's now the rat poisoner'
- 5
Dabo rips refs
Swinney headed to 'Targeting Anonymous'
Early Penn State-Ohio State preview
An early line is not out for this November clash yet. But, once one is out, oddsmakers will have to decide how to evaluate both schools’ coordinator changes. O’Brien is taking over the Ohio State offense, but Day will still have a major role in how it operates.
At Penn State, meanwhile, the program will have three new coordiantors. Andy Kotelnicki is in to run the offense, Tom Allen takes over the defense, and Justin Lustig is the new special teams coordinator. Both teams are losing plenty of playmakers to the NFL, as well. Penn State will have Drew Allar back under center. As for the Buckeyes, they are searching for a new starting quarterback in 2024.
A kick time for Penn State-Ohio State is not out.
