TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama football coach Nick Saban announced the addition of Bill O’Brien to the Crimson Tide coaching staff on Thursday as the offensive coordinator and coach of Tide’s defenders.
“We are pleased and happy to be able to add Bill O’Brien to our coaching staff,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “He has extensive experience as an offensive coordinator and head coach in NFL and college. Bill is one of the brightest minds in offensive football, an excellent teacher and an excellent recruiter. He will strengthen our technical team and give our players the best chance possible to succeed. “
O’Brien arrives in Tuscaloosa after more than six years as the head coach of the Houston Texans of the NFL, where he compiled a record of 52-48 (0.520) with four AFC South titles, four playoff games and two in the AFC Divisional Round . His attacks in Houston proved to be balanced and potent, with the Texans ranking in the top 10 in the league in running yards, while quarterback Deshaun Watson pitched for 4,165 yards in 2018 and 3,852 yards in 2019.
“I am honored and excited to join Coach Saban’s team at the University of Alabama,” said O’Brien. “I have an incredible admiration for the rich tradition of football at this university and the success that coach Saban had during his stay in Tuscaloosa. I look forward to the opportunity to work with some of the best football players in the country, while helping to continue the success of this program for many years. “
Prior to joining Texans, O’Brien took on one of the most important tasks in college football history when he was appointed coach of Penn State on January 6, 2012. He spent two years leading the Nittany Lions program, posting 15 9 overall records and a 10-6 mark on the Big Ten, while winning coach of the year awards at conferences and nationals.
Penn State won eight of his last 10 games to end the 2012 season with an 8-4 record. O’Brien, who also served as Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator, was named Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and ESPN National Coach of the Year after winning more games than any other first-year coach in the program’s previous 125 seasons.
Prior to his stint in Happy Valley, O’Brien spent five years on Bill Belichick’s team in New England, including summoning offensive plays for three seasons and serving as offensive coordinator in 2011. He trained in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI and was the position Tom Brady’s coach during his 2010 MVP season.
O’Brien has 28 years of experience as a college coach and in the NFL and was the last offensive coordinator of the college at Duke during the 2005-06 seasons. Prior to his time with the Blue Devils, O’Brien served as a running back trainer in Maryland (2004) after spending eight years at Georgia Tech in a multitude of roles, including undergraduate assistant, running backs, offensive coordinator / defenders and assistant chief trainer (1995-2002). O’Brien started his career at Brown, training the tight end in 1993 and the internal linebackers in 1994.
O’Brien played linebacker and defensive end at Brown from 1990-92 and graduated with a double concentration in political science and organizational behavior management in 1992. O’Brien and his wife, Colleen, have two children, Jack and Michael.
Although the appropriate members of the Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms and conditions for these proposed hires, the financial terms remain subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.
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