Could Bill O’Brien Take New England Return With Boston College?

Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien already took a new job this offseason, going to fill the same position at Ohio State. Could he pivot to a new opportunity given recent openings?

Boston College now has a surprise vacancy after head coach Jeff Hafley made the jump to return to the NFL on Wednesday as the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.

In a strange time to now be in need of a leader at the helm, BC could get creative in hiring the school’s next head coach. When assessing potential fits, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman named O’Brien as a potential option.

“O’Brien is a wild card option,” Feldman wrote on Thursday. “He’s a Boston native and former Brown player. He flirted with the BC job the last time it opened. He did an impressive job at Penn State at a rough time to be there. He went 15-9 before moving on to the NFL. The timing could be tough as he just accepted the Ohio State OC job, but this one could be intriguing for him on some levels.”

Between his New England roots, both growing up and with the Patriots, in addition to his Power Five conference success at Penn State, O’Brien would make sense, if he wants the job. Ultimately, if the school wants the 54-year-old, O’Brien has to decide if being a head coach again would outweigh working as a coordinator at an elite program at Ohio State.

Among other Patriots connections, Feldman also floated former New England defensive coordinator Brian Flores as a potential option at BC, who played his college ball for the school.