Now that the rumors about Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh have seemingly been put to rest, for now, Big Ten eyes are looking at a former Penn State head coach’s chances of returning to the NFL. Former Nittany Lions head coach [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag], is continuing to tb thename to watch as the New England Patriots look to find a new offensive coordinator to work alongside head coach Bill Belichick.
“The primary target is former Patriots OC, former Penn State and Texans head coach, former Alabama OC Bill O’Brien,” a report from Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston says on Monday. “There is unanimity on all sides that O’Brien’s the best person for the job and — while there are other candidates with merit — the familiarity ownership and Mac Jones have with O’Brien and O’Brien’s willingness to return mean it would be an upset if he doesn’t get the job.”
O’Brien most recently has been serving as the offensive cooridnator for Alabama, where he landed after his stint as head coach of the Houston Texans came to an end. O’Brien left Penn State to become the head coach of the Texans after two seasons as Penn State’s head coach as the successor to Joe Paterno.
Of course, the O’Brien watch has been going on for a few years now, and a return to New England, where he worked as offensive coordinator prior to being hired to be Penn State’s head coach, has seemingly been the most logical next stop for O’Brien. But there are varying degrees of reports suggesting how interested O’Brien truly is in returning to New England.
We will continue to watch closely to see where one of Penn State’s former head coaches ends up.
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