Bill O’Brien Hire Revamps Boston College’s Program Expectations

With Bill O’Brien set to return to New England, this time as Boston College’s head football coach, new potential is evident for the region’s premier collegiate program.

O’Brien had a busy last few months regarding his future after departing from a second stint with the Patriots as an NFL offensive coordinator. O’Brien had accepted that same position back in the college realm with Ohio State. Not even two months later, his plans changed when Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley left to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.

Friday officially brought the news of the program hiring the 54-year-old to start a new chapter.

As O’Brien takes over, the local appeal adds further intrigue to the hire. As a Massachusetts native, O’Brien attended St. John’s Prep for high school before heading to Rhode Island at Brown University for college. Notably, his New England roots led him to the previously-mentioned stints with the Patriots.

Now, O’Brien gets his next chance at to be a head coach close to home. His previous two stops were rather successful. Most recently, O’Brien spent seven seasons in the NFL as the head coach of the Houston Texans, finishing over .500 five times with four playoff appearances.

In college, O’Brien’s job at Penn State was impressive given the situation he inherited. Upon his arrival, the school played during a postseason ban after an extensive scandal headlined by the investigation into child sex abuse under former head coach Joe Paterno.

O’Brien truly did the best he could with a terrible situation, going 15-9 over his two seasons at Penn State before jumping back to the NFL, including winning the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award in 2012.

At the very least, Boston College gets an experienced and proven football mind and leader in O’Brien. In reality, the program is about to get much more than that.

Given that college football has never taken a dominant hold of attention in the Northeast, Boston College has experienced spurts of legitimate success. That plateau came in the 2000s, where head coaches Tom O’Brien and Jeff Jagodzinski led the Eagles to eight straight bowl victories.

Particularly, Boston College had a season for the ages in 2007. Led by future first-round draft pick and NFL MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, the Eagles started 8-0 and peaked as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation in the AP Poll, headlined by statement road wins at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The team proceeded to lose two regular season games before falling to Virginia Tech in a rematch in the ACC Championship Game. Despite those losses, the Eagles finished the season right with a win in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando over Michigan State. The 16-0 Patriots weren’t the only show in town that fall, but Boston College more than earned its respect in a memorable season.

Since then, there have been a few quick shocks of energy within the program. There was the memorable 2014 run with quarterback Tyler Murphy, including a home win over No. 9 Southern California and a trip to the Pinstripe Bowl.

Other than that, a few notable NFL Draft picks surrounded losing seasons and bowl cancellations. The program did pick up steam at the end of this past season under Hafley, winning five straight games and defeating No. 17 Southern Methodist in the Fenway Bowl for the Eagles’ first postseason win in seven years.

Now, O’Brien inherits a program with talented players such as quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who declared that the 2024 season would be one to watch in Boston after the Fenway Bowl victory.

Adding O’Brien’s pedigree is a massive step for Boston College in getting back to national relevancy. Will they compete as a top-10 team or for national titles? No, the school’s NIL resources and overall draw fall short of perennial contenders.

What O’Brien’s influence does allow the Eagles to do is raise expectations of what success around Chestnut Hill can be. With O’Brien leading the way, 6-6 seasons and bowl appearances don’t have to be the ceiling. In an evolving ACC, Boston College could find its way into the mix by eventually playing for a conference title game, a path that existed for a period of time in 2023.

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The energy of the hire is emerging, with key alumni such as Ryan appreciating what the program’s newest head coach can bring.

“Bill O’Brien to me, … I think it would add a little bit of juice,” Ryan said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” on Thursday, as transcribed by New England Football Journal’s Kevin J. Stone. “I hope that there is the resources there to be able to provide what he needs to provide. I know he’s got ties to that part of the country and it could be a really good fit. It’ll be interesting to see.”

O’Brien’s coaching success, national recognition around the sport and ability to get the best out of capable players marks the start of an exciting era at Boston College with the arrival of a coach with an established resume like few others in school history.

Will O’Brien be able to restore prior glory to Boston College? The start of the 2024 season will provide an early test when the Eagles visit the Florida State Seminoles, who barely missed a spot in the College Football Playoff in 2023 as ACC champions.