After signing on to become the next offensive coordinator for the Ohio State football program last month, Bill O’Brien is leaving to fill the vacant head coaching gig with the Boston College Eagles. O’Brien emerged as a top coaching candidate this offseason after he parted ways with the New England Patriots after a disastrous 2023 campaign. Ohio State booked him as their next offensive play-caller, but that didn’t stop other programs from courting the 56-year-old. On Friday, O’Brien officially landed the Boston College frontman gig, leaving Ohio State without an offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes faithful quickly flooded Twitter (also known as X) to share their disbelief over the situation.
BREAKING: Bill O’Brien is set to become the next Boston College head coach, per ESPN.
O’Brien was recently named the OC at Ohio State but is now heading to Newton. https://t.co/5N4DcIByDc pic.twitter.com/NHTV1rQYeS
— On3 (@On3sports) February 9, 2024
Ohio State Fans: React to Bill O’Brien’s Departure from Program
Ohio State fans are having fun at the expense of Bill O’Brien leaving the program. They took to social media on Friday to share their thoughts on their offensive coordinator’s departure.
Bill O’Brien’s tenure at Ohio State pic.twitter.com/synrKMZAJZ
— Buckeye Fett™ (@BuckeyeFett) February 9, 2024
Bill O’Brien walked into Ohio State like… pic.twitter.com/VF57z7KbxU
— Sharp (@sharpcutco) February 9, 2024
The Bill O’Brien era at Ohio State pic.twitter.com/chRNCR2wuJ
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) February 9, 2024
We will always remember the Bill O’Brien era at Ohio State pic.twitter.com/dkqX1pxHXF
— Cover 3 Film Room (@Cover3FilmRoom) February 9, 2024
Bill O'Brien with his agent after 2 weeks of listening to Ryan Day talk about how tough he is: https://t.co/VfoFTN01RX pic.twitter.com/42sT12fxmn
— Buck Geno III (@BuckGenoIII) February 5, 2024
Bill O'Brien's tenure at tOSU pic.twitter.com/qMH8FG6p3u
— Bill O'Zimmerman (@The_Reliant) February 9, 2024
Ohio State Football: Eyeing College Football Playoff for 2024 Season
The Buckeyes scored 44.2 points per game in 2022, the second-best mark in college football. However, they plummeted to 30.5 points per game last season, their first with Brian Hartline as the play-caller. The Buckeyes sorely missed a first-round quarterback, with gunslinger Kyle McCord throwing for 24 touchdowns, nearly half of what 2022 signal-caller C.J. Stroud threw the previous season. McCord has since transferred, with Ohio State inking former Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard via the transfer portal. Howard had 24 passing touchdowns and nine rushing scores in 12 games last season.
Per 247Sports, UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly and Toledo Rockets head coach Jason Candle are the top replacements for Bill O’Brien. Kelly, the pioneer of the hurry-up, spread offense, led the Bruins to an 8-5 record last season. He is also a potential candidate for the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator opening. Meanwhile, Candle has spent the past eight seasons with the Rockets. The two-time MAC Coach of the Year, Candle, has a 65-35 record with Toledo. Quarterback DeQuan Finn has 63 touchdowns against 23 picks over the past three seasons under Candle.
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