Boston College hires former NFL head coach and Ohio State assistant Bill O’Brien to lead Eagles.

Bill O’Brien, who had just last month accepted a position as an assistant on the Ohio State staff, was lured back to his hometown of Houston when he was hired by Boston College to serve as its head coach.

Athletic director Blake James of BC said in a statement, “Bill is a gifted leader who has had a tremendous amount of success as a head coach and coordinator at both the collegiate and NFL levels.” “He is a fantastic fit to lead Boston College to greater heights because of his passion for teaching football and developing young men.”

O’Brien takes over for Jeff Hafley, who left Chestnut Hill to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Hafley’s departure caused a slew of events to occur, extending from the NFL to the Big Ten and from Boston to Los Angeles. The New England Football Journal broke the news of the decision initially.

After Bill Belichick was dismissed by the Patriots on January 19, O’Brien, who had served as offensive coordinator for New England the previous season, took a position as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. After that, O’Brien was replaced by UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who was hired by the Buckeyes, creating a vacancy at Westwood as the Bruins got ready to join the Big Ten.

Hafley, who had been the defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes before to being hired at BC during the 2019–20 College Football Playoffs, had led the Eagles to a 22–26 record in four seasons.

O’Brien last served as head coach of the Texans from 2014 to 20. During that time, he finished 54–52. He has since served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Patriots and Alabama.

O’Brien was employed for New England from 2007 to 2011. During his second spell with the Patriots, O’Brien oversaw an offense that was struggling under the leadership of 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones, whom he had previously coached at Alabama.

After the Patriots finished 4-13 in the previous campaign and signed Jerod Mayo in lieu of Belichick, O’Brien’s future in Foxborough is in doubt.

From 2012 to 2014, O’Brien served as Penn State’s head coach. He assumed leadership of the team following the scandal involving child sexual abuse, which resulted in the dismissal of longtime Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno. When Penn State finished 8-4 in 2012, O’Brien was named the national coach of the year.

on Hafley’s first two seasons on Chestnut Hill, Boston College won six games apiece. However, the team chose not to play in a bowl game during the pandemic-plagued 2020 season and then withdrew from the Military Bowl in 2021 because to a COVID epidemic.

In 2022, BC finished with a 3-9 record, plagued by injuries and the quarterback turnover that typified a large portion of Hafley’s time in the Heights. Hafley’s employment was in risk as the Eagles started this season 1-3; however, they won five straight games to secure another bowl berth.