Bill O'Brien Penn State: Recruiting Takes Massive Hit After Joe Pa's Departure

After Joe Paterno's departure from Penn State following the scandal surrounding former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the Nittany Lions not only lost a legendary head coach, they lost a legendary recruiter.

Now Penn State is reportedly set to hire New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien as head coach, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

There goes that recruiting advantage.

O'Brien has not only had much success in the college ranks, going 1-22 with Duke before joining the Patriots in 2007, he doesn't have any ties to Penn State, which is, well, odd, to say the least.

You have to wonder how Penn State is going to draw recruits. With O'Brien, you have a guy who isn't instantly recognizable to recruits. You also lose homefield advantage, so to speak. If there are any big-time recruits in the area, they aren't exactly going to salivate at the thought of joining a head coach who went to Brown University in Rhode Island.

O'Brien seems like a good guy. He seems well-liked by the media who have worked around him. In that sense, he may be a positive influence at Penn State.

But it's about more than being well-liked. Penn State needs a facelift like no other and I'm just not sure O'Brien can be the surgeon it needs. Urban Meyer would have been a surgeon. O'Brien is more like a surgeon's assistant.

In fact, that is what O'Brien has been his whole career, an assistant. He has no head coaching experience whatsoever.

Just imagine the recruiting pitch. It can't sound good.

Penn State has gone from uttering two words, "Joe Paterno," and getting what it wants, to "Bill O'Brien, former Duke assistant when the Blue Devils went 1-22."

Perhaps O'Brien has friends I don't know, friends who would instantly boost Penn State's credibility.

He better, because as it stands now, Penn State's recruiting is in big trouble.