USA Today reports that the Penn State Nittany Lions have decided on Bill O’Brien as their new head coach, and all they have to do now is work out his contract.
A person with knowledge of the Penn State hiring tells USA TODAY that only contract details need to be finalized before O’Brien is the man.
We’ll see if this turns out to mean anything, but it sounds like Penn State is getting very close here.
O’Brien, 42, is the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator. He has previously coached for Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke, mostly as an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach. He joined up with the Patriots in 2007.
ESPN had previously reported that O’Brien was the Nittany Lions’ top choice.
O’Brien would take over a Nittany Lions program that is now a mess, after allegations of child sexual abuse against former coach Jerry Sandusky forced the departure of legendary head coach Joe Paterno.