Bill O’Brien’s name continues to heat up with just one game left in the college football season. It was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that O’Brien is expected to be one of the targets for the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator position following Monday’s national championship game.
Carolina’s is expected to target former NFL head coaches Jay Gruden and Bill O’Brien in its search for a new offensive coordinator, per league sources.
Carolina also expected to be interested in talking with Rams’ OC Kevin O'Connell.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2022
This news comes two days after reports indicate that O’Brien would be interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Panthers are no strangers when it comes to plucking coaches from the college level as its current head coach Matt Rhule was lured away from the Baylor Bears after the 2019 season and the team’s former offensive coordinator Joe Brady was LSU’s passing game coordinator before heading to the NFL.
O’Brien himself has stops at both the college and professional levels of coaching with his most recent stint in the NFL came when he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-20 and finished with a record of 52-48.
In his first season with the Crimson Tide, O’Brien’s offense ranks fifth nationally in yards per game (494.1 yards) and seventh in points per game (38.67 points). He’s also helped starting quarterback Bryce Young become the first Heisman Trophy winner at that position in the history of Alabama football.
O’Brien recently discussed his name coming up for different jobs amongst the coaching landscape.
“It’s one of those things that happens all the time,” O’Brien said. It’s part of the career, part of what you sign up for. My focus has always been on the task at hand and that’s just the way I operate. I just think that this is a great opportunity for this program. And we’ve put so much work into this. And really if you’re here, if you’re able to follow us around for a week, your focus is completely on Georgia and your team and what you have to do to try to help do your part to help your team win. So that’s what the focus is.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
