Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
According to multiple reports, Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien is staying at the school after a series of NFL coaching interviews, including ones with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.
After meeting with both teams today, he has informed the school that he will be returning and turning down the NFL.
This was the right decision by the first-year head coach and former NFL assistant coach. His best opportunity to win and become the top man in the program is at Penn State where loyalty is more consistent than in the NFL.
He became one of the hottest commodities on the market after he led the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record even though they were in the midst of a postseason ban, although it will be a few years before O’Brien’s Nittany Lions will be eligible for a bowl game.
The big issue with O’Brien leaving for the NFL is that whichever team offered and landed the Nittany Lion coach would have to pay a huge buyout to get him out of his hefty contract.
O’Brien is set to be at the school for the immediate future, but the more success that the coach endures as his contract gets closer to expiration, the more interest that the NFL will have in him.
It had been rumored that O’Brien would be leaving the school for a better opportunity for money and exposure at the next level, but those rumors have been since shot down.
It looks like Happy Valley is a bit happier these days.
