Report: Bill O’Brien likely headed to New England

Bill O’Brien always felt like a short-timer in the college game, and the most likely landing spot for him in the sport just opened up when New England OC Josh McDaniels was hired as head coach by the Las Vegas Raiders.

SB Nation’s Patriots site, Pats Pulpit, is already all over it.

O’Brien was with the Patriots from 2007 to 2011, serving as the offensive play caller after McDaniels departed following the 2008 season and was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator in 2011 before becoming the head coach at Penn State.

Under O’Brien, the Patriots offense was largely successful, ranking sixth, first and third in scoring. While that team did feature Tom Brady and an assortment of other weapons, there is reason for optimism for similar success within the current Patriot offense.

Assuming this happens, Saban will be in the same spot he was this time last year, needing someone to run his offense with just a few weeks to prepare for spring practice. Saban actually hired O’Brien on January 21, so his replacement will be on an even tighter schedule.

There will undoubtedly be no shortage of candidates willing to work with the returning and incoming talent next season, but trying to guess who may be on Saban’s radar is a fool’s errand. Bill O’Brien was on nobody’s mind when Texas hired Steve Sarkisian away, and prior NFL experience seems to be something of a prerequisite for Saban these days.

We’ll keep you updated. Stay tuned.

Roll Tide.