Bill O'Brien Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Bill O'Brien is a few 'minor details' away from being Boston College's next head coach

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 2/5/24

Bill O'Brien must really want to be a head football coach again.

At the time of this writing, he has an intriguing position. One would think that being the offensive coordinator at Ohio State -- a job he just recently got -- would be a pretty good deal. The Buckeyes are expected to be College Football Playoff contenders this season and in the future, after all. Thanks to all of his stops and travels, O'Brien could end up being the offensive mastermind that puts OSU back over the top.

O'Brien and Ohio State seemed like a pretty good marriage, but when now former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley jumped ship from the college ranks to become defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, a sudden head coach opening presented itself.

That's an opening O'Brien is apparently interested in. So interested, in fact, that Rich Thompson of "The Boston Herald" is reporting that O'Brien and Boston College are very close to a deal.

Heard @BCFootball and Bill O'Brien are down to the minor details. Possible @ACCFootball announcement on Wednesday. @BosHeraldSports. He won't come cheap with a lot of incentives.
— Rich Thompson (@richiet400) February 5, 2024

It's worth keeping in mind that while going from offensive coordinator to head coach is in no way a step down, it does seem like O'Brien would be giving up relevancy as far as the CFP is concerned.

That's, of course, not always the deciding factor for coaches, though.

Keep in mind, O'Brien was an assistant for the New England Patriots from 2007-2011 before becoming head coach at Penn State in 2012 and he spent last season in New England as Bill Belichick's offensive coordinator. His family is presumably very well set up in the New England area, which would make Boston College an attractive option for him.

The head coaching gig would also presumably come with a rather significant salary bump.

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