Jacksonville will be interviewing a wide candidate pool to replace Urban Meyer as the franchise’s head coach, and one of the names on that list will be a familiar one for Jags fans. According to a report from the Florida Times-Union’s John Reid, the team plans to interview former Houston Texans coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien for the opening.
O’Brien is a bit of a polarizing name in coaching circles, as his success as a head coach has been middling. A long-time assistant with the New England Patriots, he got his first head coaching gig at the college level with Penn State. He replaced Joe Paterno and inherited a program that had been rocked by sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and his two winning seasons in Happy Valley were enough to segue into an NFL job with the Houston Texans.
He coached in the NFL from 2014-20, winning the AFC South division in four of his seven seasons at the helm. But he was given general manager duties ahead of the 2020 season, and he made the controversial decision to trade away superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He was fired from both roles after an 0-4 start to the season.
He’s had success with Alabama’s offense this season, coaching the Heisman winner in quarterback Bryce Young as the unit has led the team to a College Football Playoff national championship appearance.
It’s understandable why O’Brien is a candidate for this job, but given his 54-52 record as an NFL coach, there are other candidates with stronger track records, like Doug Pederson or Jim Caldwell.
Still, it’s not a major surprise that the Jags intend to interview O’Brien, and he could be a dark horse candidate if some of the more likely options fall through.
