Former Houston Texans and Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien and Boston College reportedly are putting the finishing touches on a deal to make him the Eagles’ next football coach.
O’Brien, a Massachusetts native, most recently was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. He accepted the same position at Ohio State last month.
The 54-year-old O’Brien was hired at Ohio State to take over the play-calling duties from head coach Ryan Day. Presuming O’Brien seals the deal with Boston College, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly reportedly will be named the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator.
O’Brien’s family is rooted in the Boston area and planned to remain there while O’Brien was in Columbus, ESPN reported.
O’Brien will replace Jeff Hafley, who recently was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.
The Eagles finished 7-6 in 2023 and are getting a coach with a blue-chip pedigree.
O’Brien worked on Bill Belichick’s staff with the Patriots from 2007-11 and was quarterbacks coach to Tom Brady. He left to take over at Penn State in 2012 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year.
From 2014-20, he led the Texans to the playoffs four times.
As for Ohio State, Kelly and Day have a longstanding relationship that began when Kelly was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire with Day as his quarterback there from 1999-2001.
Kelly, 60, led Oregon to three Pac-12 championships as the Ducks head coach from 2009-12 and compiled an 46-7 record. He headed to the NFL in 2013, spending three seasons as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and one at the helm of the San Francisco 49ers with a 28-35 overall record.
He became UCLA’s head coach in 2018 and has a 35-34 record with the Bruins.
–Field Level Media
