Very Close to Official – O’Brien New Leader of the Pack

It’s now a headline on ESPN.com – Boston College head coach Tom O’Brien will leave to coach Atlantic Division rival NC State. It looks as if we may get a formal announcement as early as tomorrow.

As SFN noted earlier today, we agree with the apparent decision of the NC State search committee – Tom O’Brien is a better hire than Paul Johnson. And pretty much everyone agreed that Johnson would be a good hire, and clearly an upgrade over Amato.

I don’t want to repeat too much of the logic from the above-linked post. Suffice to say – those who claim Tom O’Brien is “Herb Sendek v. 2.0” are simply wrong, in our estimation. According to SFN’s sources, Coach O’Brien sought out the NC State job with the same vigor and tenacity as did Jimbo Fisher. He really wants to be here, and I think it’s safe to assume it’s because he believes he can elevate his success to a whole new level at NC State. He can go from “pretty good” to periodically competing for the ACC title, and regularly make good bowls (as even his current level of performance would land NC State in good bowl games). His floor essentially is identical to the Dick Sheridan level of performance, and few Wolfpackers complain about that era. And that’s not to say we expect that to be his ultimate ceiling – there’s every bit as much reason to hope for upside from TOB as there was with respect to PJ. I don’t think O’Brien would have made this move if he didn’t think he could take it to the next level at NC State. We should be honored and very enthusiastic that such an accomplished, respected coach feels that way about our university.

Please feel free to share your opinions below (don’t forget to contribute more facts at VaWolf’s thread below). We hope that even those fans hoping for Johnson, Fisher, or somebody else will be fair and rational about this hire. At SFN, we couldn’t be more excited about ushering in a new winning era of NC State football.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

General NCS Football Tom O'Brien

192 Responses to Very Close to Official – O’Brien New Leader of the Pack

  1. RedTerror7483 12/07/2006 at 2:35 AM #

    “Prediction: We’ll be saying we could have had PJ five years from now when he’s somewhere big doing great things!”

    Prediction: No we won’t

  2. Wufpacker 12/07/2006 at 4:02 AM #

    Fowlerlicks…

    So you want to extrapolate head to head results between Davis (at Miami) and O’Brien (at BC) and try and convince anyone that those results will have any bearing whatsoever upon what happens at UNC and NCSU respectively? It MAY turn out that Davis’ UNC will dominate O’Brien’s NCSU, but it sure ain’t gonna be because of what happened between UM and BC several years ago. Fowler should be hung in effagy (or right here in Boston…thanks to coach from Cheers) for a lot of things, but the hiring of TOB ain’t one of ’em.

    Also, you folks that want to bring Herb in as a comparison to TOB are really reaching, and IMHO borderline pathetic. You want to compare Herb’s results at NCSU in BASKETBALL to TOB’s FOOTBALL at BC???? Seriously?? Personally, I’ll take TOB’s results with undertalented yet WELL PREPARED players. Just think what he might do (recruiting wise) somewhere that he can point to top notch facilities and a commitment to a winning program!!

    With our current athletics facilities and the support that the football program now has and a coach who has STEADILY IMPROVED at BC, and has gone to and WON bowls 6 years in a row (at a school with subpar facilities against BCS conference competition) there is no reason to think that TOB cannot come in here and continue his successes and even surpass them at NCSU.

    Is it guaranteed? Of course not. IF you want a guarantee go buy a TV.

  3. Wufpacker 12/07/2006 at 4:07 AM #

    One other thing I just thought of….

    God help us all if BC loses to Navy in the mechanic bowl…

    “I told ya he cuddent coach…that Paul Johnson is the one we shudda got dagnabbit!!!”

    Oy!

  4. Jeff D 12/07/2006 at 4:35 AM #

    I seriously doubt O’Brien coaches that game, so it should not be an issue.

    Don’t understand a lot of the negativity I’m seeing at PackPride, glad to see the response over here is a bit more sane.

  5. kozmokramer 12/07/2006 at 5:22 AM #

    This is probably the worst hire in NC State history. We hire a coach that Amato “OUTCOACHED” earlier in the year…go figure.

    This guy is a “middle of the road” coach. He won’t finish last, but he damn sure won’t finish first. We will remain finishing fourth to fifth year after year in the ACC, going to lower tier bowls.

    At least UNC is ATTEMPTING to move to the next level. Whether they will or not remains to be seen, but AT LEAST they are trying. We, on the other hand, appear to be content to being a middle of the road school. This really sucks!

    Why couldn’t dumb ass Fowler put his gonads on the line one time, and hire a “up and comer” like Jimbo Fisher? Even Paul Johnson is better than O’Brien. We are doomed to mediocrity.

  6. class of 74 12/07/2006 at 5:34 AM #

    I was stunned at this news at first. Frankly I was hoping for much more, kind of like hoping for Eva Longoria or Terry Hatcher and feeling like I ended up with Edith Bunker if you know what I mean. Serviceable, honest, hard working, never cheats but at the end of the day not what you really desire. I wanted a younger more dynamic guy that would bring this aging Wolfpacker a couple of ACC championships and BCS bowl appearances before my time is up. I know TOB will field a winner, history shows me that much, but IMHO I see a ten to twelve year period of anywhere from 5-7 to maybe a couple of 9-3’s and no ACC titles. Lou Holtz will still be seen as our greatest coach in history and I wanted that to change.

    We will see disciplined, if not too exciting brand of football here. And yes it will be far better brand than what we’ve had for the past four years in those terms. But my biggest concern is recruiting. This guy is not dynamic based on what I seen and heard and that will be his biggest hurdle here is the recruiting angle. I read many of you guys saying oh well he will now have relaxed standards and boy that will unshackle this guy. Stop for a moment and think about this. Most of us go to a school in our region and BC for the longest time was the only “big time” school in it’s region. And regionally it sits in one of the highest SAT score areas in the nation. Which helped them overcome the higher requirements that school has. My point is this is not what some of you think it is. This guy is in for the recruiting battle of his life and recruiting is where over half of the battles are won and lost in college football. I have not one single doubt about TOB’s coaching ability. None, he is first rate as a coach but when he shows up on a kid’s doorstep for that inhome visit is he going to be seen as Longoria, Hatcher or Edith Bunker?

  7. buttPACKer 12/07/2006 at 6:34 AM #

    while i certainly agree with everything (negative) ever said about LF, I think TOB is a good hire, and will fully support him and the new staff! I might have rather seen Jimbo at Murphy, but that is immaterial at this point.

    Congrats TOB, I’m behind you–(no jokes please!)

    Go Pack!

  8. buttPACKer 12/07/2006 at 6:37 AM #

    i think what’s done is done, and we need to support the program now–we can mutiny in a few years!

  9. buttPACKer 12/07/2006 at 6:41 AM #

    honestly with this program, facilities and fanbase I think TOB can do more than he was able to at a school with a lot fewer resources. We may be surprised. . . at any rate, we have still gotten a huge UPGRADE.

  10. Texpack 12/07/2006 at 6:56 AM #

    I don’t think NC State football has ever had a ten year stretch as good as the one TOB just finished at BC. We need to have consistent success beating the teams we are supposed to beat over a period of time (5-7 years) before we start thinking about hiring somebody to make the program contend on a national level. I would be quite happy with 7-9 wins/year for the next 5-7 years. TOB should be able to do that at State.

  11. 86ncsu95 12/07/2006 at 7:00 AM #

    Oh, the assumptions we all make. Shocking as this is to some of you ostriches, maybe PJ turned us down hoping to nab something bigger? As far as the search goes, you don’t know what you don’t know. When I make a decistion to fire an employee I already have my recruiters out finding the replacement. I hope Lee Fowler does the same, so the process probably started earlier than you think.

    I still would have preferred PJ, but it is what it is and I will support my team with any new coach, cause at least it ain’t CTC, even though I think we did a poor job of dismissing him.

  12. 86ncsu95 12/07/2006 at 7:02 AM #

    Am I the only one that think it’s odd that Phillip Rivers is talking suddenly? I found it strange that he never commented on the CTC situation (as far as I ever heard) and here he is breaking the news. I mean that’s okay, cause he’s a god and everything, but seems odd to me.

  13. Wolfpack4ever 12/07/2006 at 7:22 AM #

    1) PJ got a call from CN and was asked if he was interested in the NCSU job. He didn’t call us; We did’n’t call him. Makes me wonder what his answer was.
    2) PJ raided NCSU coaching staff for 1 assistant and another was fired for requesting an interview. Chuck was steamed and I expect the big-buck contributors were too.
    3) Add 1 & 2 together and see if you think PJ was ever seriously considered? I doubt it.
    4) Jimbo was saved a trip to Raleigh, which IMNSHO was a very professional thing to do. Not professional for Jimbo or his consorts to run their mouths about it.
    5) I have no idea how national this search was. It certainly stretched from New England to the Bayous of Lousiana. NOrm Chow is West Coast. That’s not exactly provincial.
    6) I was jealous of UNX for the quick hire and a lot of hands were wrung because of various opinions about lost recruiting ground. This hire is quick and now some want to say we should have stretched it out. Go figure.
    7) I got some not-so-great LTRs but my ass will be in them from kick-off until the last whistle.
    GO PACK!!!

  14. Barnette2Holt 12/07/2006 at 7:27 AM #

    I was rooting for PJ, but this guy’s record speaks for itself. He ran some pretty nice offenses at UVa. I think he will straighten out some of our current discipline problems to be sure. Congrats to TOB and go Pack. Still, I expect to see big things from PJ in the future, maybe even at Alabama or Miami?

  15. RickJ 12/07/2006 at 7:38 AM #

    It is pretty rare when rivals make a coaching hire in the same year. I think it would be a great idea to move the UNC-Chapel Hill vs NC State game to the first or second game of next year.

  16. LRM 12/07/2006 at 7:40 AM #

    A few observations:

    1) Irony: hiring one of the two ACC coaches Chuck actually beat this year.
    2) O’Brien will (hopefully) bring the discipline this team severely lacked
    3) Not a sexy hire, but he does win.
    4) All he has to do is coach; we have the infrastructure for winning (facilities, etc)

  17. waxhaw 12/07/2006 at 7:49 AM #

    If he periodicaly competes for the ACC title and regularly competes in “good” bowls, I will be very happy.

    I suspect there will still be people who can’t comprehend that we have never had that type of success but you can drag a horse to water but …….

  18. GrandWolf 12/07/2006 at 7:51 AM #

    A new day, the dust has settled, and Tom O’Brien it is.

    This thing came out of no where and surprised many people and fans. I think many had it in thier heads (including myself) that it would be PJ. In the end, NC State got a good solid coach that knows the conference and could potentially do very well in Raleigh. It is extremely gratifying as a Packfan and alum’ to think the players in camp, the stadium, and accessory facilities are in such good shape this was an attractive job to such a coach.

    I was against it at first, but its done and I have to admit NC State is better off.

    WELCOME COACH O’BRIEN!

  19. buttPACKer 12/07/2006 at 7:52 AM #

    has anybody read Ned Barnetts gem of a column in the NandO? Apparently, we have crossed some moral or ethical line, from which we can never return. . blablabla. . .

    state poached bc. . blablablah. .

  20. buttPACKer 12/07/2006 at 7:53 AM #

    yeah,

    btw, Welcome
    TOB glad to have you with us!!!

    go Pack!

  21. Red 12/07/2006 at 8:01 AM #

    I agree with the comments that Curtis made? How can nearly everyone on this site bash Herb and his “big game” results and be excited about Tom O’Brien. Boston College hasn’t had a “big win” since Tom Coughlin was there. My personal opinion on the Herb bashing is that people are very bitter about coughing up their hard earned dough to Tits Amato for lifetime rights. I don’t think the resale value on those season rights are very good. Here’s to picking the wrong guy to run out of town!

  22. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 8:10 AM #

    Wolfpack4ever, good and interesting post. I had not considered the Buddy Green / Godette angle.

  23. RickJ 12/07/2006 at 8:25 AM #

    From a story on ESPN:

    “O’Brien, 58, had grown frustrated in recent seasons because the Eagles could not attract much fan support in a city preoccupied by its professional sports teams. In each of the last two seasons, after the Eagles left the Big East Conference for the ACC, they were passed over in the ACC’s bowl pecking order because of the school’s inability to sell tickets for bowl games.”

    Remember the atmoshere at Carter-Finley the night of the BC game.

  24. for2n8son 12/07/2006 at 8:28 AM #

    Good Lord! The guy is not even in town yet and some are complaining. The time to discuss the relative merits of the different candidates is O V E R. We have made the hire. Welcome TOB and GO Pack!!!!!!!!!!

  25. class of 74 12/07/2006 at 8:32 AM #

    TOB deserves our support yes, but hayseed doesn’t and will never after these past twelve months.

Leave a Reply