Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD TIM OWEN | OWEN.TIM.BWI@ G M A I L . C O M Footing the Bill e featured Bill O'Brien on the cover of this magazine exactly one year ago. Today, you can find only one photo of him within the entire publication. How things change in a year – or since our last print date. Now O'Brien is in Houston figuring out who he should draft with the Texans' first overall pick, or if he should just trade the dang thing away. Meanwhile, 41-year-old James Franklin graces the cover of BWI, and almost every page in between. And now that the transition period is through, it seems like everyone is where they belong. The NFL had clearly been in O'Brien's future since day one, and although fans were initially upset over his departure, most have since harmonized with the smooth-talking, quick-witted Franklin and the idea that Penn State is truly his "dream job. " But how desirable would this position be if it weren't for O'Brien? Given Franklin's geographic roots, it might still be a destination, but O'Brien sure made it more appealing. Nevermind the Sandusky scandal. When O'Brien took over at downtrodden Penn State in January 2012, it was a program that had begun to rest on its laurels and settle for the status quo. It was a program with boundless resources, but no one drilling for them. Until the future Texan took charge. Long before O'Brien lived in Houston, he had Texas-sized dreams for Penn State, and he kept throwing haymakers until the day that he left in order to reach them. Standing inside Penn State's newly renovated weight room – one of the first elements of the program that O'Brien made over – sophomore tight end Adam Breneman told me that W O'B left Penn State in better shape than when he arrived. "I think it's just a lot more stable," said Breneman, who was one of O'Brien's two most prized recruits during his only complete recruiting cycle. "There's a lot of excitement around this program, and a lot of that you can attribute to Coach O'Brien and what he's done for this program. I think we all have to be really thankful for that." O'Brien's successor might be most thankful. If it's not for the state-of-theart weight room, or that five-star QB with three remaining years of eligibility, then it should be for the $25.5 million contract that he signed. Before O'Brien darted toward the NFL, creating an opening for Franklin to return home, he gave Penn State the opportunity to fight for him. And fight it did. Penn State was willing to open its wallet. It was willing to pay top dollar within its budget – not only for the head coach, but also for assistants and for the recruiting budget. A player's father told me a few days before O'Brien took the NFL job that if he were indeed to leave PSU – no matter what – O'Brien would be leaving the program in a better situation than he found it, better than it was even during the 2013 season. At the very least, this father told me, O'Brien created awareness among university officials of what type of commitment it will take to make this program competitive on a national level. If the Nittany Lions are to compete with the nation's best schools, that battle begins in the homes of recruits. And in order to reach more prospects, PSU's recruiting efforts must match theirs. More staff. More outreach. More money. Dominate the state? O'Brien already put the wheels in motion. Eager to improve the university's profile after a decade or more of stagnant recruiting efforts in Pennsylvania, O'Brien trekked through the commonwealth during his first year on the job, rebuilding inroads to some of its premier high schools. "I think Penn State is in a better spot now than it was two years ago," O'Brien told ESPN's "Mike and Mike" radio show after accepting the Texans' job. "I think my staff, myself, our players are very proud of that. I feel like Penn State is a place where you can win national championships and Big Ten championships." Because of those efforts – and despite PSU's fight to keep him – O'Brien has found a nice fit in the NFL. On this same page exactly one year ago, I wrote the following: Penn State needs O'Brien for only one more year. After that – the NCAA-imposed "free agency" period, mainly – Penn State can hop back on the coaching carousel and find its next leader, if need be, and O'Brien can follow his career goals. … If it does, Penn State football will be just fine. My premise was that as long as O'Brien kept the team moving forward – something he absolutely had to do in order to convince an NFL team to hire him – he would turn Penn State back into a dream job for a worthy candidate. He might have taken heat for how he did it, but because of O'Brien's tough and sometimes unpopular decisions, it now seems like everyone is where they belong – including the Nittany Lions. Breneman put it best: "He had to do what is best for him, and we're very thankful for what he's done at Penn I State."

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