“Billy O,” as in Bill O’Brien, is coming home.
Again.
The short-lived position he had at superpower Ohio State, as its offensive coordinator, lasted only three weeks.
News broke on Friday that the former Andover product has been hired to take over the Boston College football program.
O’Brien had returned to the Boston area just over a year ago to take the reins as Patriots offensive coordinator and re-joining his former boss Bill Belichick.
It isn’t often that an opportunity to better yourself, getting another shot as a head coach, also crosses paths with the best decision for your family.
O’Brien, who grew up in Andover and attended St. John’s Prep, has always kept close ties to his local roots.
After being fired from the Houston Texans after six-plus seasons as head coach – four-time AFC South champs – O’Brien did two seasons at Alabama.
He was away from the family for most of those two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Ala., while his wife, Colleen, and two sons, Jack and Michael, remained in Houston. Michael was in his senior year at, coincidentally, St. John’s School.
When Michael committed to Tufts University baseball – he’s a left-handed pitcher – joining the Patriots was a great two-way decision for himself and his family.
His son Jack, is severely disabled, and needs full-time supervision. Dad being around the last year, even busy coaching the Patriots’ offense, eased the load a bit.
Also, it was cool to pop over the Tufts to watch Michael and some fall baseball workouts.
The decision to go to Ohio State, and join his friend and head coach Ryan Day, was a football decision first, with hopes of setting himself up for a head coaching job.
When Jeff Hafley decided to leave B.C. and join the Green Bay Packers as its defensive coordinator, everything changed.
The opportunity to return home and head a program like B.C., which is not an easy job – honestly is there an “easy” job? – was a no-brainer.
O’Brien is 54 years old and wants to be the boss, which in college is general manager-coaching combo.
One of the great experiences he got at Alabama was learning the Nick Saban recruiting methods. As in, recruit players every day and twice on Sundays.
B.C. needs to do better in the recruiting wars, particularly in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, always the bread and butter states for some of their most successful teams.
B.C. gets a coach with a “name,” that will draw excitement, which is important in college football.
O’Brien will be going to alums to help support their NIL program, which will need to be addressed realizing players will not be paid like those at Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State.
O’Brien is one of us. He’s always been one of us.
That means he can be tough and tell people, especially those in the football program, things they don’t like hearing.
He’s got a tall task, which is more than winning games. B.C. needs to get back in the discussion, as must-see TV, as our big-time college football program.
This isn’t about going 6-6 and heading to second or third-rate bowl games every year. We’ve had a lot of that around here the last decade.
It’s about making a run at an Atlantic Coast Conference title every few years. An upset here or there.
I believe he’s up to the task. In fact, “Billy O” was born for this.
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.