Under head coach Ryan Day, the Ohio State Buckeyes are adding a former NFL head coach to oversee the offense.
The hiring of Bill O’Brien, the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots and former head coach of the Houston Texans, by the Buckeyes has been reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. It’s unclear what will happen with former NFL wide receiver Brian Hartline, who was in that position in the past.
Sources: Ohio State is set to hire longtime NFL head coach Bill O’Brien as the school’s new offensive coordinator. O’Brien served last season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2023 and has been the head coach at the Texans and in the Big Ten at Penn State. pic.twitter.com/19e2iXv6oe
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 19, 2024
O’Brien, who has extensive experience under Bill Belichick, served in a number of offensive coordinator capacities for the Patriots since 2007.
Before accepting the head coaching position with the Texans, O’Brien served as the new head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for two seasons in 2012. He returned to the collegiate levels as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after being fired early in the 2020 campaign.
After a difficult sophomore campaign, Belichick was hoping that O’Brien would assist Mac Jones recover. However, by the end of the season, O’Brien was benched in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.
Following a miserable 4-13 campaign, Belichick departed the Patriots, and Jerod Mayo was elevated to head coach. The Patriots must now choose a new offensive coordinator because O’Brien left for Ohio State.
