Bill O’Brien is returning to college football. After being fired as Houston Texans’ head coach and general manager in October, O’Brien decided to accept Nick Saban’s offer to come work with him at Alabama.
According to multiple reports, O’Brien will be Crimson Tide’s new offensive coordinator. He’ll replace Steve Sarkisian, who took the head coaching job at the University of Texas at Austin earlier this month.
The deal that brings O’Brien to Alabama is still not official, as several final details are reportedly left to be resolved. However, Saban all but confirmed the move during a chat with reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve always tried to have the best knowledge and experience I can for our players and their development, and I certainly think [O’Brien] can contribute to that in a very positive way,” said Saban when asked about O’Brien.
Bill O’Brien has a long history of working at college, holding OC positions with Georgia Tech and Duke while serving as Penn State’s head coach in 2012 and 2013. In his two years with the Nittany Lions, he posted a 15-9 record while being 10-6 inside the Big Ten Conference.
After the 2013 college season, O’Brien took over the Houston Texans as a head coach. He made four playoff trips and won just as many AFC South titles in his six full seasons at the helm.
O’Brien was fired by the Texans after starting the 2020 NFL season with four losses.
