Report: Bill O’Brien, Former Patriots, Alabama OC, Named OSU Offensive Coordinator

zach bacharContributor IJanuary 19, 2024

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Ohio State has reportedly hired Bill O’Brien as the team’s offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Pete Thamel @PeteThamelSources: 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

In 2023, O’Brien filled the same role for the New England Patriots. He’s also served as an offensive coordinator on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama from 2021 through 2022.

O’Brien has head coaching experience as well, leading the Houston Texans for seven years before he was fired in 2020. Prior to his time with the Texans, he was the head coach at Penn State.

Although he has several years of experience coaching at both a professional and collegiate level, his final year with New England didn’t produce the results that many expected. The Patriots averaged just 13.9 points per game, tied with the Carolina Panthers for the lowest mark in the league. They also recorded just 276.2 total yards per game, the third-worst average in the NFL.

“I don’t know. I really just—it’s not a cliche to say—I really try to do the best job I can. I have to do a much better job in the job that I have right now,” O’Brien said during the team’s Week 11 bye, per Michael Hurley of CBS Sports.

However, he fared much better in his time spent leading the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama averaged 39.6 and 41.1 points per game in his two seasons with the school, respectively. The Crimson Tide’s average in 2021 was enough to lead all SEC teams.

As he joins head coach Ryan Day’s staff, O’Brien will look to enhance a Buckeyes offense that recorded a modest 30.5 points each week in 2023. This was only good enough to earn the No. 3 spot in the Big Ten behind Michigan and Penn State.

He’ll have several elite offensive playmakers to work with, including standout wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.