Bill O’Brien has reached an agreement to become the new head coach of the Houston Texans.
Reports have said that O’Brien was the favorite for the job, even though the team interviewed other candidates such as Lovie Smith.
O’Brien gained national respect after going 8-4 in 2012 as a first-year head coach at Penn State. He took the job when the program was hammered by the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien followed up his 8-4 season by going 7-5 this year.
Prior to Penn State, O’Brien spent five years as an offensive assistant with the New England Patriots, working his way from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator.
This is one of the first dominoes to fall in the coaching game as Penn State will need to find a new coach. Former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who was just fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, could be a top candidate for the Nittany Lions job.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen first reported the news of O’Brien to the Texans. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle says the official announcement will be made on Thursday.
