![New offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien watches the quarterbacks work during practice. The Alabama Crimson Tide opened practice for the 2021 season as they prepare to defend the 2020 National Championship Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Alabama First Practice](https://www.patsfans.com/patriots/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/USATSI_16524096_168390408_lowres.jpg)
Bill O’Brien quietly departed the New England area this offseason to accept the job as offensive coordinator with Ohio State, but it sounds like he may not end up ever calling a single play for the Buckeyes.
According to Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald, O’Brien is instead apparently in the running to take over the head coaching vacancy at Boston College following Jeff Hafley’s departure to Green Bay.
The move would end a short tenure for O’Brien, who has reportedly already been hard at work with the players, running meetings in his new role at Ohio State as things continue playing out. However, the expectation seems to be that he’s the frontrunner for the Eagles job to this point.
Meanwhile, Hafley, who was a co-defensive coordinator with the Buckeyes before taking over at BC, struggled during his tenure at the University. The Eagles finished 6-5 in 2020, but went 6-6 in 2021, 3-9 in 2022, and finished 7-6 last season, including a 23-14 win over SMU in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
The hope was that Hafley could get the Eagles back to becoming more of a powerhouse in the conference, but he couldn’t quite get them to the next level. He’s instead opting leave the school after four seasons and move on to the NFL, having accepted the position as defensive coordinator for the Packers.
On paper, the move certainly would be a strong one for Boston College. By hiring O’Brien, they would add a coach with a pretty successful resume at the college level during his time at Penn State, as well as a solid tenure during his time in the NFL as head coach in Houston.
More importantly, it also allows O’Brien to remain in the Boston area, which has an important family connection. His son Jack has a rare brain condition and receives treatment in the Boston area.
It’s also one of the reasons why his return to New England as offensive coordinator for the Patriots was a positive for his family last season.
A decision is reportedly expected to be made by officials at Boston College by the end of this week.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
