Why did Bill O'Brien leave Alabama? Boston College HC's coaching career explored

Boston College Eagles coach Bill O'Brien is a battle-tested veteran in both the NFL and college football. He has worked with some of the most prominent personalities in the game.

These include New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban. He was an offensive coordinator with both coaching legends.

On Monday, O'Brien will start his second stint as a coach in college football with a clash against the Florida State Seminoles, who lost a Week 0 clash against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Ireland.

One question that might come up in the minds of fans is: Why did O'Brien leave Alabama, where he coached in 2021 and 2022?

Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported that O'Brien could have left Saban and joined Belichick after the 2021 season but that O'Brien chose to honor his commitment to give Saban two years.

“Finally got to the bottom of the Bill O’Brien mystery, and why he’s not back here as offensive coordinator,” Bedard wrote. “A) O’Brien made a two-year commitment to Saban. B) Belichick just wasn’t going to put Saban, his good friend, in the position of giving his blessing on O’Brien leaving.”

O'Brien, who was fired four games into his seventh season as the head coach of the Houston Texans, was Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.

After O'Brien replaced Steve Sarkisian, who took the Texas Longhorns job, the Tide averaged 41.1 points and 477 yards per game under his tutelage. He finished with a 24-4 record and a national championship game loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Bill O'Brien lands challenging Eagles job

The Boston College Eagles have had two winning seasons in four years under former coach Jeff Hafley, but he departed for the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator role. It will now be a challenging job for Bill O'Brien with the Eagles as they are struggling in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Eagles are not known for their winning football pedigree, and the new coach acknowledged as much. He indicated his readiness for the challenge during a news conference before the clash against the Seminoles (via ESPN.com).

"I feel very prepared," Bill O'Brien said. "At the core, I am who I am. I'm passionate about football. I'm passionate about the guys I coach. I'm passionate about the guys I work with. But I've learned a lot. And I think I am calmer. I'm more thoughtful in certain situations. I have a lot of great people around me.

"I realize how important delegating (is). I think when I was at Penn State, I tried to do everything. And I learned. And even in Houston, I tried to do everything at times. And there were some successes, but over time, you have to delegate."

Bill O'Brien had a mixed bag as the coach of college football teams with an inconsistent record (15-9) at the Penn State Nittany Lions (head coach, 2012-13). He then left for the NFL where he had a 54-52 record with the Houston Texans. Eagles fans will hope that this tenure is different.