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. Buck 12/07/2006 at 8:34 AM #

    This as a great hire in many respects. I do think that the way this hire was handled was fantastic. It was done quickly, we identified the man early and kept his name out of speculation until the deal was done. What moe can you ask for. Couple of points…

    This is a substance hire…the antiamato…and while not the splash of a Davis it has more substance. People raved about Davis hire but that’s just PR. He was handed the keys to Miami when he bacame a head coach…Miami!…that’s why he has the record he does. He may have cleaned up Miami but he has no track record of raising a losing program up from the depths. Not saying Davis is bad…he’s going to improve UNC for sure, but this hire we made has more substance to it.

    We have Amato to thank for bringing in resources and infrastructure and a national stage presence in order to attract such a hire. Now we will reap the benefits as a coach, who has a proven track record, uses those facilities to build a highly respected and successful program.

    Say want you want but there is no better combination of academic and on-field success than TOB in the last decade.

    O’Brien has been hamstrung with high academic requirements and he has still had those 8 wins a year. He is going to recruit much better at State than he ever has. I predict that his offense is going to look a little bit more like it did when he was last at a big state university…more like his offense at UVA than what he has had at BC….a higher athlete quotient.

    If he can work his O-line magic with the group we have I really shudder to think what Brown and Baker could do.

    Go TOB!! GO Pack!!

  2. Mr O 12/07/2006 at 8:38 AM #

    Describing TOB as being “out-coached” in Raleigh is a huge stretch. I don’t count successful hail mary’s as good coaching.

  3. TopTenPack 12/07/2006 at 8:39 AM #

    “It’s all there for N.C. State to have a winner, it really is. What the program needs without question is a hard-nosed coach who will instill discipline and who knows how to put together a staff. It needs a coach who has won at the highest level and knows what it takes to win now. History shows that Tom O’Brien has done that.” — Tom Suiter, WRAL

    I could not have said it better….

  4. MadWolf92 12/07/2006 at 8:44 AM #

    I don’t think it’s a question that O’Brien is an upgrade over Amato – he is – but I can’t help feeling that we are the ASU of football. Will we be better? Yes. Will we consistently get to good bowls? Yes. Will we be excited? … Dunno.

  5. DIXIE Wolf 12/07/2006 at 8:47 AM #

    I was for PJ from Day 1, but I can certainly live with the hiring of TOB. I do live in the heart of SEC country and would love to see PJ end up @ BAMA just to see what he could do. I sure as hell hope that PJ doesn’t replace TOB in Chestnut Hill.

    TOB, welcome aboard, and good luck recruiting in the SE. I do hope you’re able to bring some of those big OL and DL recruits to the triangle.

  6. ChuckAllYall 12/07/2006 at 8:48 AM #

    It’s becoming pretty obvious the more I read about O’Brien’s credentials that he is the “Anti-Chuck”. I believe that is exactly what the Chancellor told Fowler to look for in this search.

  7. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 8:49 AM #

    People are concerned that Butch will clean house recruiting in NC, but that is not the case when NC State WINS, as we saw with Amato’s NC grabs when he was doing well.

    Plus, one has to assumed that TOB has good connections in the northeast, traditionally (Pennsylvania) an NC State pipeline.

    I am amazed at some of the foolish bile being spewed on PackPride.

  8. Pack92 12/07/2006 at 8:52 AM #

    ^This is a blog and no one can express their opinion?

    I think we have a right to at least question the hire. As I posted yesterday this is a safe, middle of the road way to go for Foulup. Jed can fall back on the “record” of TOB and say it was a good move. It apparently is a REAL good move for TOB considering he is not so popular at BC. Unfortunately, moving on after not winning the big one and getting a big pay raise does smack of HS. Of course, I was one of the biased lunatic fringe while Sendek was at NCSU.

    TOB brings a good if not great record to our Wolfpack. The already posted win/loss record is puzzling to me however. How do we think we are getting such an upgrade? I saw the Syracuse game in ’04 and the Wake game this year (as well as the NC State) and was surprised in all instances that BC lost. Lost big as matter of fact to a pathetic Syracuse team when BC could have wrapped up the Big East.

    I do not fault TOB at all for this. I know for sure we can give more support than he got at BC and better athletes. However, he has just not shown the killer instinct I think we need. BC teams, AS DID WELSH VA TEAMS, choke at the worst possible times. Are we just destined to settle for mediocre? Yes, I know that’s am improvement over what we have had here for some time. However, would PJ not have at least brought excitement as well as the same ability to win in tough circumstances shown by TOB? Let’s face it, no one is studying under TOB to learn how to be “middle of the road”.But, one of the coaches going to the NC game did learn offense from PJ.

    I guess the deal is done but I cannot help but be upset if we never gave JF or PJ a chance. Greatness requires taking some chances (see Jim Tressel post yesterday) and as long as we have Foulup any brush with greatness with surely be an accident. We DO have a right to want big time success. After all, we paid the big time money for Amato. Now it seems the money will bring us vanilla. I for one WANT to be eating a large bucket of crow next year this time but the feeling I have is it’s 80/20 I won’t be.

  9. graywolf 12/07/2006 at 8:57 AM #

    From pack96attack:

    Why wouldn’t we want a coach that has head coach experience, multiple national championships ( I-AA ) , 3 or 4 yr. consecutive National Coach of the Year, has led NAVY to some very good years. A WINNER AT EVERY PLACE HE’S BEEN to come here and lead NC STATE ??

    TOB may have a decent record, but sorry I don’t get really excited over this hire if it’s true…

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

    I could not have said it better.

    This is just a safe hire for Fowler to keep his job.

  10. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 8:58 AM #

    “…it’s likely that O’Brien will bring all or most of his BC staff with him to Raleigh, including assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator Jerry Petercuskie and long-time coordinators Dana Bible (offense) and Frank Spaziani (defense). O’Brien’s staff at BC was one of the most stable in the nation. All nine of the Eagles’ assistants held their positions for at least the last four seasons, and five have been with O’Brien for eight years or longer.”

    This would be outstanding if true. Respectively dissagree with all who think this hire was a mistake. The arguement for fireing Chuck was for problemas in area XYZ.

    X) Discipline Y)Asst. Coach’s attrition rate Z)beating teams that were easy to ge”up” fpr (aka FSU), but being dead in the water when facing an equal or lesser team.

    Coaching search hires someone who is an exact fit for a candidate who can reverse these problems quickly in an effort to possibly putt the current program over the top. On top of the short term benefits, TOB has nearly a nearly 100% graduation rate. Couple the long term benefit of an outstanding academic image with some possible short term success and what you get is a well rounded, prestigous football program. A place we are NOT at right now.

    So if the hire isn’t good enough, or should be voided ecause it wasn’t done the right way, then fine. I respectfully disagree. Now it may be time for some to correct their true reasons of why Amato had to leave. Obviously XYZ were just clever ways to disguise that Amato wasn’t their guy, and now it’s time to make up for lost time and hire some up and coming star coach with the midas touch.

  11. Mike 12/07/2006 at 8:58 AM #

    Exactly Cardiff, I posted on another entry about his recruiting in the NE, which is where good lineman traditionally come from. He should continue that area for lineman, and use NC, FL for “talent”. If we win, the players will come.

  12. RickJ 12/07/2006 at 8:59 AM #

    TOB was UVA’s lead recruiter and very successful in the Tidewater area under Welch. Virginia Tech has taken control of this area recently. Given the geography, I have also thought we should do better in Tidewater.

    TOB is from Ohio as is his OC – Dana Bible. BC has lots of players from Ohio on their roster. This may be a new recruiting area for us – particularly for OL’s.

    “People are concerned that Butch will clean house recruiting in NC” – This is one of the reasons I would love to play UNC early next year. I like our chances at home and this would give us an opportunity to put an early damper on the “Butch is great” movement.

  13. Mike 12/07/2006 at 9:03 AM #

    I am a realist too. I would love to play for the Nat’l Championship every year, but that bis not reality. I want to win every game, but I would be pleased with 9-3, 10-2, and occasioanlly 12-0 would be a nice surprise.

    Also, those complaining that even WE beat BC this year. It was a fluke, stuff happens. UCLA should not have beaten USC either but they did. Should we not hire Pete Carroll because he lost a gmae he was supposed to win? We lost 9 games this year we were supposed to win.

  14. Mr O 12/07/2006 at 9:03 AM #

    TOB’s record is more impressive IMO than Paul Johnson beating up on service academies and/or Div 1-AA teams.

    The man has won 30 of his last 39 games as the head coach at BC for a 76% winning percentage. It would be interesting to see where that ranks nationally.

  15. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 9:04 AM #

    “It apparently is a REAL good move for TOB considering he is not so popular at BC.”

    Is anyone out there capable of realizing that if your name isn’t Auerbach, or Belichek then your a crap coach in that city? Boston sucks to be a coach, player, and a fan. It’s all negativity all the time. Auerbach won all the time, and Belichek is depressed and angry all the time. If they don’t pay you well or your not into self loathing then you better get the hell out of that town.

  16. statered 12/07/2006 at 9:06 AM #

    TOB is 0 for 3 in the clutch the last three season with losses to Syracuse, UNC, and Wake when a chance for a BCS type bowl were the stakes. In at least 2 of the 3 his team was favored if not all three.

    What people here are failing to realize is that BC fans came to the conclusion that TOB does not have “it.” When the high stakes game is on the line TOB gets ultra conservative and folds like a lawn chair. Face it – if he had come through in the clutch just ONE TIME he would not be a candidate for this job but for a place like Alabama.

    Unless this leopard changes his spots five years from now it will be Herb debate part II about the coach who does well enough not to get fired but cannot sack up and get it done when it matters. Five years from now half of the fanbase will be blaming the other half for those failures, stating if only he had the complete support of our fanbase somehow he could get it done. Five years from now people will be calling us a lunatic fringe again for coming to the realization that TOB does not have “it.” Only the brilliance of Jed could gets us right back in that spot.

    This is not a better hire than PJ for one simple reason. PJ has a demonstrated ability to come through in the clutch in the big moment. The question was open as to whether he could do it at this level but thats the thing – the question was still open. TOB has consistently demonstrated that he CANNOT.

    Now that the SFN editors have decided to sell out to the party line (as they so forcefully accused the Packpride site of doing in many cases in the past) and become foolishly optimistic in the absence of any real in depth analysis I hope that they will refrain from jumping on the man five years from now when the time comes when it is painfully apparent that the guy cannot get it done in the clutch.

  17. Par Shooter 12/07/2006 at 9:06 AM #

    To me, this hire demonstrates that the BOT and admin never really bought into Chuck’s dream of someday winning a national championship. This hire screams out “we aspire to be a solid program that wins a bit more than it loses and goes to middling bowl games while graduating players”. It’s a safe hire – not a bad hire. But it is certianly not a hire made in a pursuit of winning championships. IF Fisher is the next Stoops then we may have had that chance. IF Johnson were the next Meyer or Tressel then we may have had that chance. With O’Brien, I suspect that we’re going to be a fixture in bowls like the Music City, Meineke, or the Tangerine for the forseeable future. Of course, that beats the heck out of our last 3 year run.

  18. choppack1 12/07/2006 at 9:07 AM #

    Well, on the 1-10 scale, I’d rate this as an 8.

    His results remind me of one Dick Sheridan. My concern w/ him is the same as my concern w/ Sheridan:
    1) Can he win the big games? I’ve only followed BC extensively since they came to the ACC. I know the last 2 years, he has played games that are “de-facto” division championships. He’s 0-2 in both of those games.
    2) Can he attract top-rate talent? He does an excellent job developing it, but will he be able to get the speed he needs on the edges to stop folks and score points against good competition.

    I preferred Paul Johnson, because his results were Conan – the Barbarian like – “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women. ” Did he have more question marks? Sure. But I believe that he had the highest upside of any of our candidates because of his big-game success and the domination of his service academy rivals at Navy.

    I have no idea how TOB has done against his rivals and I don’t know if BC had any natural rivals. They certainly have one now.

  19. highonlowe 12/07/2006 at 9:12 AM #

    Like LRM said, its not a sexy hire. But its still a great one and the search was not a debaticle like many want to make it.
    I consider TOB to be a Roth IRA; PJ is a rolette wheel.
    I am 100% satisfied with the past 11 days.

    Welcome to NC State Tom, now get to work!

  20. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 9:13 AM #

    Thank you Redstate^
    You just answered perfectly. You don’t care where the program is now as this very moment. You just a want a super team, with the best coach in the land. Should we look at we’re we’ve been with this football program to get where we all want to go. No, we should look at the basketball programs past. OK. I’m confused.

  21. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 9:16 AM #

    “^This is a blog and no one can express their opinion?”

    You’re right. This is a blog and no one can express their opinion. Which is why we just banned you.

    Wait a minute – you just made a very long post. I guess we didn’t ban you for it after all. Jesus wept.

    My point was, some of the posts on PackPride are simply stupid and uninformed bashing. One, for example, wrote “WE HATE YOU. GO BACK TO BOSTON.” He was banned, but you see what I am talking about. Other posts are arguably more genteel variations of that.

  22. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 9:16 AM #

    “I have no idea how TOB has done against his rivals and I don’t know if BC had any natural rivals. They certainly have one now.”

    One is Norte Dame, as in an all out competition for the best Catholic school preps. Did TOB have many advantages coaching in Chestnut Hill. It’s cold and the field is a very nice one, for HIGH SCHOOL! Yet he is portrayed by some as having everything at his dispossal.

  23. Buddygreen 12/07/2006 at 9:17 AM #

    Oh well. Go TOB. Was hoping local boy Paul Johnson would get more of a look. But TOB is a good hire. Reminds me of a guy named Bobby Bowden, did nothing but win at West Va. yet the unrealistic fans expected more and didn’t complain when he left to got to FSU. TOB was winnningest coach in BC history. Hope he does like Bobby and making a move to school that he can take it up a notch! Go Pack!

  24. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 9:18 AM #

    “Exactly Cardiff, I posted on another entry about his recruiting in the NE, which is where good lineman traditionally come from. He should continue that area for lineman, and use NC, FL for “talent”. If we win, the players will come.”

    Interesting post, Mike. I had honestly wondered where the good linemen came from, as we’ve seemed to have very few of them, on the offensive side, the past several seasons in general terms. I thought Chuck could have done worse, at times, then to head to the buffets restaurants in Garner and signed him up some big assed country boy buffet-wreckers.

  25. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 9:19 AM #

    BC’s biggest other rival is its academic standards. Some of our less, shall we say, Socratically minded players would not have gotten in the door at BC.

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