Former New England Patriots assistant coach Bill O’Brien landed at Ohio State, surprising some given new Buckeyes offensive coordinator Ryan Day’s expectation that he would pursue options at the college level.
Ohio State’s dominance of the transfer portal means O’Brien has stocked his locker to take his playbook into the elite ranks as a national title contender in 2024. This is the opportunity he’s been waiting for. According to NFL reporter Albert Breer of The Monday Morning Quarterback, O’Brien looked around and found the Buckeyes because he wasn’t guaranteed a spot on New England’s new coaching staff in 2024 following the departure of Bill Belichick.
“The Patriots will interview Los Angeles Rams assistants Nick Keiley and Zach Robinson on Monday and Tuesday for the open offensive coordinator position,” Breer wrote this weekend. Both have ties to the Patriots, but it’s really a sign of how open Jerod Mayo can be with his staff.
That’s not to say Mayo doesn’t have a trusted lieutenant (Belichick’s son is close to Mayo and both have received job offers from him). But it shows that Mayo are not stuck for ideas at any stage of the game. Why did Bill O’Brien take the Ohio State OC job instead of giving him a chance to compete for the job he already had?
“Ohio State’s decision to hire O’Brien received mixed reviews from those outside the program, but there’s no doubting the experience the former college head coach and play caller brings to Ohio State. O’Brien was tasked with rebuilding a Buckeyes offense that struggled with consistency and posted its lowest scoring average since 2011.
During the recent 2023 campaign, Ohio State averaged 30.5 points per game, ranking 45th nationally in the FBS. The Buckeyes have lined up a new starting quarterback for 2024, with Will Howard soon to transfer to Kansas State.Ohio State also welcomed Class of 2024 recruit Air Noland to campus and will also bring back five-star recruit Julian Sayin from Alabama.
“I am very excited to have Bill O’Brien join my coaching staff,” Day said in a press release. “He brings a lot of knowledge and big returns at both the NFL and college level. He is an accomplished and experienced offensive line coach who has coached NFL and Power 5 programs and developed truly elite players throughout their careers.
“He will be a great teacher and recruiter for us and will absolutely strengthen our staff.”O’Brien, formerly the head coach at Penn State, moved to the NFL and led the Texans for six seasons before being fired. From there, he played for Nick Saban at Alabama in the 2021 and 2022 seasons and assisted Belichick in New England this fall.
