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. jbwbubba 12/07/2006 at 11:28 AM #

    I like the hire overall, since word just spread yesterday its not much time for anyone to grasp it fully. TOB is a good coach, did great things at BC, 8 straight bowl bids 8-9 wins the last few season. Plus his teams played with discipline and did well in school. As an AD or Trustee you can’t pass that up, plus he had success in the ACC. Its also possible that TOB will improve over his record at BC, if he can get more quality recruits at NCSU. Honestly if 10 years from now TOB is still the coach and NCSU has gone to 8 bowl games and average 8-9 wins in the last few years would anyone have a problem with it? To paraphrase Sidney, TOB puts us in a position to win.

  2. highonlowe 12/07/2006 at 11:28 AM #

    I finally agree with you pq. good post

  3. TNCSU 12/07/2006 at 11:31 AM #

    ^^ Good Post, PQ! I, for one, agree!

  4. statered 12/07/2006 at 11:32 AM #

    partial if TOB were coaching at OSU he would be John Cooper.

    You guys can delude yourself all you want be be aware that the more you do the more severe the reaction is going to be when folks finally realize they have been sold a defective set of goods.

    Forget all the extraneous stuff – at least three times he has been presented with the chance to break through. As far as recruits, etc each time he has been in a relative ADVANTAGE vis a vis his opponent. If he had succeeded JUST ONCE he would be a candidate at every opening there is. EACH TIME he failed.

    If you think it will different for him here fine but don’t act like you have facts to back it up. All you have is FAITH. There was not one time when he succeeded at breaking through at the crucial moment, if there was we wouldn’t even be talking about him right now.

  5. legacyman 12/07/2006 at 11:41 AM #

    Red,

    That was then and this is now.. different facilities, different players, different fan base, different expectations, different funding ability, etc. Give him a chance to adjust and see what he can do. If changes need to be made later then I am sure we will do it but now is a clean slate.

  6. packbackr04 12/07/2006 at 11:59 AM #

    when is the presser to announce “the MAJOR” as the next coach of wolfpack football

  7. ncsu81 12/07/2006 at 12:03 PM #

    Excellent post partialqualifier, EXCELLENT

  8. DiscoStu65 12/07/2006 at 12:05 PM #

    “CG – If memory serves me well, I believe what was spelled out in fangs on Tank Tyler’s helmet was “FREE TT”. It really surprised me to see that.”

    Did this really surprise you? This is, after all the same Tank Tyler who made a freaking terrible rap song that the only words i could understand were “welcome to the carter” wasn’t the carter the ghetto in New Jack City? i think it was. Neno Brown better watch his back. Tank Tyler can rap and spell.

    O’brien needs to come in immediatly and cut this shit out!

  9. highonlowe 12/07/2006 at 12:06 PM #

    THe latest from Fox Sports
    NC State likely would not make a formal announcement Thursday, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been approved by the school’s board of trustees. The board’s personnel committee has a teleconference scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.

    Does this have to be approved by the ACC Board also?

  10. GAWolf 12/07/2006 at 12:10 PM #

    Has anyone looked at the recruits on the radar for BC? Surely some of them will follow…

  11. highonlowe 12/07/2006 at 12:12 PM #

    Another thing, obviously it was Rivers who spilled the beans to a ‘newspaper’ as quoted in Fox Sports, but was it Dave Glenn who called Phillip? DG refers to his source as a “another Coach who had been involved in the Wolfpack’s search”, the its the exact quote from Rivers in the Fox article.

    DG: “I was told earlier (Wednesday),” said another coach who had been involved with the Wolfpack’s search. “Tom O’Brien is their guy. It’s a done deal.”

  12. Mike 12/07/2006 at 12:16 PM #

    Maybe I am missing something here. TOB may be the next Herb, and if so, we will fire him when the time is right. There is no perfect candidate. I can find faults with every single one, Tressel, Carroll, Spurrier, RichRod Leach, Logan, Holtz Sr, Holtz Jr, Rockne, Bryant, Bowden, Paterno, the list goes on.

    if we have been sold a bill of goods, the truth will come out. But I will make this statement – no one can guarantee any coach brought in would be perfect for us, even Cowher. As the great American philosopher Costanza once said, “A George divided against himself cannot stand”. We need to support TOB from now until the day he proves us wrong. From where we have been and where we are now, 9 wins is a START to get us where we want to be.

  13. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 12:18 PM #

    The biggest shortcoming for this hire may be State’s current best asset. Many of these players either have kept secret their knowledge of foundamentals or have almost none to speak of. It may take a season or more for Coach O’B to fix this problem, but he will I have confidence (or faith as Greg Doyel calls it).

    Please let Chuck go. He will always be remebered, but the new Coach doesn’t need to be apprenticed by anyone. We already have someone who “dresses up” for the games, he’s called Mr. Wuff.

  14. TNCSU 12/07/2006 at 12:19 PM #

    I’d say 9 wins would be a damn good START! If he goes from 3-9 to 9-3, he’s Coach of the Year — wouldn’t that be a slap for the BC folks! I wonder if ESPN has talked about the rabid BC fans running TOB out of town?

  15. highonlowe 12/07/2006 at 12:19 PM #

    Ok, DG posted a comment that answers my ACC question:

    There are three main reasons the ACC didn’t get involved in this move within the conference.

    (1) It would be illegal to do so. Preventing a coach from moving from one ACC school to another would be a violation of federal antitrust laws. In America, you have to have a very, very good reason, and work within very limited parameters, to unilaterally impose restrictions on someone’s right to make a living as he sees fit. Remember, the NCAA once tried that with the “restricted earnings position” (for assistant coaches) in men’s basketball, and they lost a multi-million lawsuit as a result.

    (2) Tom O’Brien wanted to leave.

    (3) Boston College, as a whole and as an administration, wasn’t upset to see O’Brien leave.

    Given those three facts, there was absolutely no reason for the ACC to get involved here, even by privately “pressuring” against such a move. Bottom line: When nobody is complaining, you stay out of it.

  16. jbwbubba 12/07/2006 at 12:24 PM #

    http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=165&p=9&c=8&yr=2007

    to find some of BC’s recruits, one is from Charlotte, also a highly rated TE from FL actually attended a camp at NCSU and was made an offer before committing to BC

  17. vtpackfan 12/07/2006 at 12:29 PM #

    I hope this get inked. If it goes through I’m going to take a long second lood at Fowler. I think he just might have drastically changed the direction of our athletic dept.

  18. Wolfpack4ever 12/07/2006 at 12:30 PM #

    highonlowe Says: “I think everyone would love to see Chuck retained at some level of the program. … he’s a great defensive coordinator”

    high, This is nitpicking for sure but Chuck has never been a defensive coordinator. All else you say is true, but it is likely that TOB will want to run his own show independent of the guy who was fired because he did not or could not win.

  19. Gene 12/07/2006 at 12:38 PM #

    People need to keep in mind bowls pick schools based on expected attendance. BC is a small – about the same size student body as Duke – school, whose fans don’t travel well. We got picked ahead of them for the Meinke Bowl a couple of years ago, for just this reason and sent them packing to the Smurf-Turf Bowl, in Idaho. Part of the reason he doesn’t go to bigger, better, bowls, is basically because of the fan base.

    BC was second in the Atlantic and in a three way tie for 4th place, with a 5-3 conference record, this year.

    Amato never did better than 5-3 in the ACC.

    We are not down grading the coaching position. There’s no reason to be down on this hire. None.

  20. Girlfriend in a Coma 12/07/2006 at 12:52 PM #

    Chuck would have a better chance of retaining a position here if he hadn’t acted like a total horse’s ass to everyone for the past 7 years.

  21. brown pelican 12/07/2006 at 1:19 PM #

    it’s important to reflect upon the search from the perspective of what the result is—standing d-1 coach from a top conference with a 10 year proven record of success—a guy with local experience in our league who has recruited nationally while at bc—yes i supported other candidates—but—the resume that TOB brings is impressive—he will address the concerns regarding discipline—staff stability—and consistency—the dynamic that is the football conference now known as the acc—formerly the florida state invitational—lends itself to any one of the 11 programs not known as duke making a run at being a consistent contender for the title game—as wake did this season—let’s give TOB one full five year class and see where he is before we start with the no good yankee rants—good luck coach—and—welcome—go pack—it’s on now bubba!!!

  22. Cardiff Giant 12/07/2006 at 1:29 PM #

    “Did this really surprise you? This is, after all the same Tank Tyler who made a freaking terrible rap song that the only words i could understand were “welcome to the carter” wasn’t the carter the ghetto in New Jack City? i think it was. Neno Brown better watch his back. Tank Tyler can rap and spell.

    O’brien needs to come in immediatly and cut this shit out!”

    Truer words never spoken.

  23. Elrod 12/07/2006 at 1:39 PM #

    Disco – My surprise is that the coaching staff allowed TT to put that on his helmet. I believe we are in firm agreement that TOB won’t allow such expressions or shenanigans. GOOD!!!

  24. CaptainCraptacular 12/07/2006 at 2:39 PM #

    *^Not quite. Bobby Ross was already out a Maryland before taking the GT job.*

    *Mike there were a couple of years in between for Boby I think. It wasn’t directly from one school to another.*

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Ross

    Bobby was at Maryland in ’86 and GT in ’87. My memory sure isn’t what it used to be, but I recall him going directly from MD to GT, no stops in between and no gap.

  25. PapaJohn 12/07/2006 at 2:44 PM #

    Girlfriend … – best post of the day! LOL

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