Just a Minute: Boston College, Bill O'Brien Using Professional Connections to Shape Roster
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Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien is using his professional connections to help him out in his still relatively new role as the skipper at BC, and the latest addition to the coaching room does just that.
News broke on Thursday that Boston College is expected to hire former assistant defensive line coach Jordan Thomas away from the Cleveland Browns as the new head defensive line coach at Boston College. Thomas spent the last three seasons with the Browns, where he coached All-Pro Myles Garrett.
Coaching a freak of nature like Garrett may not be the hardest job in the NFL, but Thomas' resume' comes complete with nearly a decade of coaching experience already.
This is a move that makes perfect sense for O'Brien and company. Boston College may be a hard sell given its position in the ACC for those among the upper ranks of the collegiate coaching scene, but to lower-tiered NFL coaches, it's an opportunity to show that they've got what it takes to earn a higher paid/ranking job in the future in a power four conference.
Additionally, they're working under someone who knows exactly what it's like to make the transition from the professional scene to the college ranks already in O'Brien. It certainly doesn't hurt on the recruiting trail, either, of course.
If O'Brien keeps up the trend of bringing NFL coaches into the college ranks, it could mean that Boston College is adapting to the current nature of the game quickly, and with more former NFL experience in the ACC next season, it could bode for a battle of two similar strategies.
Tanner Marlar has covered collegiate athletics at the local and national levels for nearly a decade, including at Cowbell Country, Mississippi State On SI and Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. As a former beat writer, Tanner strives to give thought provoking and exciting coverage to readers who want to know the very best current information about their team.
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