Penn State's Bill O'Brien Wanted by NFL

Bill O’Brien has exceeded expectations in his first season as head coach at Penn State and now may have put himself in position for an NFL coaching job.

Taking over the scandal-laden program in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal that rocked the college football world put O’Brien behind the proverbial eight ball before he even coached his first game.

However, after dropping the first two games of the season, the Nittany Lions reeled off wins in eight of the next 10 games, with the losses coming vs. an undefeated Ohio State team and Nebraska who won the Legends division in the Big Ten.

He certainly could leave State College after one year, but I have my doubts that he would actually leave the program he pledged loyalty and commitment to just one short year ago, and the school that gave him his first head coaching position–not to mention a massive buyout.

However, it shouldn’t come as a massive surprise if he does leave Penn State for an NFL job considering his past experience in the NFL where he was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots before taking the Penn State job.

College coaches have been known to surprise us and this is just a warning to Penn State fans that O’Brien may find the grass greener on the other side and admittedly unlikely could leave the program this offseason if he gets the Godfather offer–one he can’t refuse–from an NFL team.

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Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com Wednesday mornings from 8-10. View his show’s website here.