Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1486024
6 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Division I. His presence gave the Nittany Lions a degree of stabil- ity that was rare in college football, but of course it couldn't last forever. After Paterno was ousted in 2011, PSU was plunged into a world that it had never been a part of. First came the process of finding a successor. That would have been difficult under any circumstances, but it was especially fraught with the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal still raining down, the university's Louis Freeh-led investigation on- going, and the NCAA beginning to express an interest in Freeh's findings. The Lions ended up making their hire 41 days after the season ended, announcing Bill O'Brien as Paterno's full-time successor on Jan. 6, 2012. As jarring as that experience was for a program that had previ- ously been a model of continuity, the Lions soon found out that it can be every bit as difficult to hold onto a successful coach as it is to find one in the first place. O'Brien went 8-4 in 2012, a record that might have inspired yawns in previous years but was hailed as something of a miracle after all the upheaval of the pre- vious 12 months. The NCAA had slashed Penn State's scholarship allotment, banned it from postseason play and given players a waiver to transfer anywhere they wanted without penalty. Yet, the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator had still guided PSU to a 6-2 Big Ten record and the No. 2 spot in the Leaders Division standings. That showing had aroused the interest of numerous NFL teams, and as soon as the league's regular season ended on Dec. 30, the rumors began circulating that O'Brien might be leaving. 'It's Not About Money' During his first year on the job, O'Brien developed a reputa- tion as a straight shooter. He published accurate depth charts. He disclosed injuries. He let reporters attend practice. When it came time to explain whether he had been ap- proached about returning to the NFL, he admitted that several of the teams with coaching vacancies had contacted his agent, Joe Linta, to inquire about his interest. In the opening statement he issued at a Jan. 7 press confer- ence, O'Brien said unequivocally that he planned to return to Penn State for the 2013 season and added that he hadn't courted offers in the hope of getting a raise. "If I was about money, more than likely I wouldn't be sit- ting here right now," he said. "It's not about money. It's about making sure that Penn State — Penn State University, the Penn State athletic department, Penn State football — does every- thing we can do in our power to make this place the best it can be for our student-athletes. That's what it's about in my mind." O'Brien was unequivocal about something else, though. The veteran coach made it clear that he regarded the NFL as the pinnacle of his profession, calling it "the highest level of coaching." "You don't get any higher in coaching than the National Football League," O'Brien said. While Penn Staters may have been relieved to learn that the team's head coach was returning in 2013, especially with verbally committed five-star quarterback prospect Christian Hacken- berg still a month away from signing his letter of intent, O'Brien hadn't entirely quelled suspicions that his long-term future lay elsewhere. Sure enough, 12 months later, the Houston Texans announced that O'Brien would be taking over for Gary Kubiak. O'Brien's decision to leave after just two seasons was seen as a rebuke by those who regarded Penn State's head coaching post as a destination job, not a springboard to a better position somewhere else. Others saw his departure as an inevitability and thought it better to get it over with quickly rather than face the same kind of coaching drama after every season. Back To The NFL Whatever hard feelings he might have evoked at the time, O'Brien seems, in retrospect, like a crucial figure in the program's efforts to remain competitive and nationally relevant throughout the sanction period. In his 24 games as their head coach, O'Brien led the Lions to a 15-9 record, including a 3-3 mark against ranked opponents. Had the program fallen apart during the 2012 and '13 seasons, it would likely have had a much more difficult time luring a ris- ing star like Franklin. Indeed, when Franklin was introduced to the media in January 2014, O'Brien was one of the first people he thanked. "Bill O'Brien is a guy that I worked with at the University of Maryland who I have tremendous respect for and is going to be a great resource for me," said Franklin, who was the Terps' wide receivers coach in 2013 and '14 when O'Brien was in charge of the running backs. "I know he's going to do great things, and we wish him the best of luck." O'Brien certainly did some good things with the Texans, but not enough. He went 52-44 in six seasons before being fired after getting off to an 0-4 start in Year 7. He's been back in the college game for the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Alabama. In O'Brien's first season with the Crimson Tide, quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy. Anywhere else, that would have bought the coach some job security, but expectations are stratospherically high in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide lost to Georgia in last year's College Football Playoff championship game and were longshots to make this year's field as of late November. Coordinators always come under fire when expectations go unrealized. We'll never know what might have happened if O'Brien had stayed at Penn State, but in his brief tenure, he kept the program pointed in the right direction amid unimaginable circumstances. That in itself is a worthy legacy. ■ "You don't get any higher in coaching than the National Football League." O ' B R I E N