After his return to the New England Patriots didn't go as expected, former Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien is returning to the college ranks, as he'll become the Ohio State Buckeyes new offensive coordinator.
Per a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, the hiring of O'Brien will see fifth-year coach Ryan Day handover play-calling duties as he shakes up his coaching staff to boost the Buckeyes back into national championship contention.
"The move comes with a potential shift within the OSU program, as coach Ryan Day has spent part of this off-season exploring bringing in an experienced coordinator that would allow him to give up play-calling duties," Thamel writes.
After spending two seasons as the offensive coordinator under legendary coach Nick Saban at Alabama, O'Brien returned to the NFL coaching ranks for the first time since his firing from the Texans by taking over a Patriots offense that had regressed in 2022.
Yet, those struggles turned out to be just a preview of what O'Brien would have to deal with this past season.
Amidst a disastrous season for the Patriots, where they finished 4-13 and "mutually parted ways" with Bill Belichick, O'Brien's offense ranked near the bottom in many statistical categories.
However, with the Patriots' promotion of Jerod Mayo to head coach, he will have to find his own coordinator as O'Brien returns to college football, where his last stint fared much better than his return to Foxboro.
More must-reads: