Bill O’Brien staying with Penn State
Penn State’s head coach Bill O’Brien is no longer being considered a candidate for a NFL coaching job. O’Brien withdrew his name and says that he wants to stay at Penn State after it was widely rumored he’d be leaving for the Eagles or Browns.
“I’m not a one-and-done guy,” O’Brien told PennLive.com’s David Jones. “I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that’s what I am going to do. I’m not gonna cut and run after one year, that’s for sure.”
The former Patriots offensive coordinator reportedly met secretly with the Cleveland Browns recently, and met with the Philadelphia Eagles in the off-season.
O’Brien started his coaching career back in 2007 when he was hired by the Patriots as an offensive assistant.
He then interviewed and signed with Penn State to replace former head coach Joe Paterno.
O’Brien had a great first season with the Nittany Lions: 8-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten play, which is impressive for the circumstances that O’Brien walked into as the new head coach. He signed onto a 5 year deal with Penn State almost exactly a year ago.
Even though he only signed for 5 years, the NCAA penalties handed down in July triggered a clause in O’Brien’s contract that extends his deal the length of any sanctions handed down, so his deal now runs through 2020.
The sanctions include a four-year postseason ban that began with the 2012 season; and steep scholarship cuts which take effect with the 2013 recruiting class.
