Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

O’Brien vs. Kelly – Who Makes the Greater Impact?

Bill O’Brien and Chip Kelly offer the potential for immediate impacts

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Nov 30
Nov 30

By Rock Westfall

Mama Calls Home Local Boy Who Made Good  

When college football coaches are evaluated for hiring, there is more to the process than a resume and reputation. Fit is an important element in whether a coach will ultimately be successful or not. Rich Rodriguez is the perfect example of fit. At Michigan, he could not have been worse. But at West Virginia, Arizona, and now Jacksonville State, he fits right in.

Bill O’Brien may prove to be the best possible fit for a Boston College Eagles program in desperate need of quality leadership. O’Brien grew up in the Boston area, where his family lives and was going to stay, even when he accepted the Ohio State offensive coordinator position. Adding to the fit is that O’Brien’s wife is a Boston College alum. 

A Strong Background of College and Pro Success

Bill O’Brien had previous coaching stops as an ACC assistant for Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke. He went on to become quarterbacks coach for the local’s favorite NFL team and QB, the New England Patriots, and Tom Brady.

From there, he was a successful head coach at Penn State during a challenging period of NCAA sanctions that included significantly reduced scholarships because of the hideous Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien also had to deal with “Joebots,” who refused to let go of the past and their reverence for the legendary but ultimately flawed Joe Paterno. Yet in two seasons, O’Brien went 15-9, including 10-6 in the Big Ten. In 2012, he was bestowed with three major Coach of the Year awards.

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Because of his success at Penn State and his association with Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots, O’Brien was hired by the NFL Houston Texans. O’Brien is one of the few success stories from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. He went 52-48 at Houston in six seasons and four games, with four playoff appearances in his final six years. 

The Ugly End at Houston

Bill O’Brien’s coaching reputation was tarnished at the end of his Houston tenure. In the 2019 AFC Playoffs, O’Brien’s Texans blew a 24-0 second-quarter lead at Kansas City. The Chiefs went on a ferocious comeback run of 41 unanswered points to win the game 51-31. It was a perfect red-wave storm of terror. And it took its toll on O’Brien.

After the debacle, O’Brien went on a trading tirade of epic proportions that included key players such as Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins. It was as if O’Brien lost his mind. And perhaps he did. Things were never the same after the loss at Kansas City. O’Brien was fired four games into the 2020 campaign after an 0-4 start.

O’Brien Recovers Under Saban

After O’Brien left Houston, he began to repair his reputation as the Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Nick Saban. He gets credit for playing a part in Bryce Young’s success as a 2021 Heisman Trophy winner. 

However, O’Brien told current Alabama QB Jalen Milroe to find another position. O’Brien did not believe Milroe was capable of playing QB at an elite level. Yet in 2023, Milroe posted a 172.2 QBR with a 23/6 TD/INT ratio and 10.0 yards per attempt, leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff.

In 2023, O’Brien returned to his roots as offensive coordinator of the Patriots. The season was a catastrophe that ended with a 4-13 record and the departure of Belichick. O’Brien’s offense was abysmal, with QBs Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at the bottom of NFL production charts. After Belichick’s release, O’Brien found refuge as the offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he served the past month. 

A Faulty Chip When All Things Are Equal 

Since Friday, this space has extensively chronicled Chip Kelly’s departure from UCLA for the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State and his long football career path in great detail.

Kelly made his name and fame as head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009-2012. At Oregon, he had unique advantages, both legitimate (Nike funding) and illegitimate (Bag Man Will Lyles).

During Kelly’s tenure, Oregon was doling out under-the-table cash to players when it was not legal to do so. There was no NIL in those days. In nearly all games, Oregon had a vast personnel advantage that Kelly brilliantly capitalized on, as any coach should have. However, Kelly left Oregon with an 18-month show cause and was labeled a cheating pariah. It was assumed he’d never return to college football. 

In the NFL, where everyone gets the bag, the personnel is equal, and the opposition coaching is elite, Kelly posted a career record of 28-36. And then at UCLA, without the financial and administrative support he enjoyed at Oregon, he went 35-34, including a respectable 25-13 in his final three years. UCLA attained bowl eligibility in all three of those campaigns. Ultimately, Kelly left because, as he said, “NIL defeats weather.”

Kelly has a strong reputation with the coaching community as a superb playcaller. At Oregon he had terrifying offenses the likes of which were never seen before. But Kelly should have lit it up at Oregon, considering his unfair and overwhelming personnel advantages. It would have been coaching malpractice not to have dominated with Oregon at that time. Conversely, when all things are equal, Kelly has had mixed results. 

And The Most Impactful Coach Will Be…

Bill O’Brien has his detractors, but the fact remains he was a successful head coach at Penn State and Houston. He will be coaching at his hometown school and will be driven to succeed. 

O’Brien’s past success with Tom Brady and Bryce Young gives him credibility with recruits. He knows the New England area better than anyone and has Super Bowl championship bling to flash. O’Brien is well known locally and gives the BC football program significant credibility enhancement.

Chip Kelly will inherit one of the most talented offensive lineups in college football. Ohio State will have vast personnel advantages almost every week, reminiscent of Kelly’s Oregon days of glory.

Kelly can work the whiteboard and videos in his bunker without having to deal with recruiting and making cold call sales pitches for desperately needed cash. He’ll be in his element. Kelly will scheme up the Ohio State offense to maximum production.

Chip Kelly is not as great as he was made out to be at Oregon, nor as bad as he is made out to be from his time at UCLA. As with all other coaches, success or failure ultimately comes down to institutional commitment and player personnel. At UCLA, Kelly lacked the support to attract impactful personnel. That will not be an issue at Ohio State.

Ohio State’s superior talent will make Kelly look like a genius, regardless of if he actually is one. In turn, it won’t be long before Chip is a head coach somewhere soon again, but at a place that is fully committed to championship football.

In the long term, Bill O’Brien rates the impact edge as the perfect fit at Boston College. In fact, he may engineer the most successful era in BC history since another O’Brien, Tom, made the Eagles a regular top-20 program two decades ago. 

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