New Boston College coach Bill O’Brien stood in the middle of the practice facility, surrounded by his players, and loudly reminded them that it’s time to believe they can beat anyone.
“That’s the kind of coach you want to play for,” quarterback Thomas Castellanos said. “It’s not like, ‘We can win it.’ It’s, ‘We’re gonna win it.’”
O’Brien’s players seem to have embraced his new leadership style, and he has brought energy to alumni and former players since he was hired in February. However, he knows that winning games is what really matters for a program that has mostly stayed the same for over a decade.
“I love the job. I love BC. I’ve said this a thousand times: My wife went to school here and I’ve got a lot of friends that played here when they won,” the 54-year-old O’Brien said. “In the end, I’ve been around long enough to know, we’ve got to win some ballgames.”
O’Brien comes to The Heights with a strong background that includes a seven-year term as head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans, two different stints as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, OC and QB coach under the recently retired Nick Saban at Alabama, and a two-year period at Penn State that helped revive the program after a sex-abuse scandal ended longtime coach Joe Paterno’s tenure.
“The energy has been amazing. With all the NFL experience he has, I feel like he’s brought it to us and that’s how we practice,” said receiver Jerand Bradley, who transferred from Texas Tech. “I feel like he’s implemented a lot of things that are done in the NFL and we’re doing here.”
The last time BC had ten or more wins was in 2007, during former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan’s senior year.
