Bill O'Brien: The Perfect Fit for Penn State Football

Penn State and Bill O'Brien, the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, have reached an agreement on the Nittany Lions' head coaching job.

The university will make the announcement formal on Saturday, as O'Brien will officially be named the 15th head coach at Penn State.

O'Brien replaces legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who, after 46 years at the helm, was let go this past November, in light of the alleged sex abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Tom Bradley served as interim head coach in the Nittany Lions last three games.

The hiring of O'Brien is a new day for a Penn State program that desperately needs a new direction.

Paterno was the face of Penn State. The legendary coach led the Nittany Lions to two national titles in 1982 and 1986. The winningest coach in NCAA history (409) also led Penn State to three Big Ten championships in 1994, 2005 and 2008.

Paterno spent 61 years at Penn State—the first 15 as an assistant.

Now, enter Bill O'Brien.

O'Brien comes to State College without any Penn State affiliation.

The 42-year-old had held various positions in the Patriots' organization since 2007 before becoming offensive coordinator last February.

O'Brien's coaching career began in the collegiate ranks.

O'Brien graduated from Ivy League institution, Brown University—Paterno is an alumnus also—and had a two-year apprenticeship there from 1993-1994. He then matriculated to Georgia Tech, where he coached several positions from 1995-2002.

O'Brien then had stops at ACC schools Maryland and Duke, before going to New England.

Several Penn State alumni, including several former players, have already voiced their opinions on hiring of O'Brien. Many disapprove because O'Brien does not have ties to the university.

But O'Brien's hiring makes a lot of sense.

The Nittany Lions job is one of college football's most lucrative positions. With a huge fan base and an alumni network that donates millions of dollars to the university, many people have a great disdain for someone coming into the program with no association to Penn State.

Several people who were mentioned for the job declined. One, former Penn State player Mike Munchak, is the head coach of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

With the child sex abuse scandal hanging over the university, the hire had to be someone with no affiliation to Penn State. That is why the hiring of O'Brien is perfect.

O'Brien should know he has a major rebuilding project ahead of him, but within a few short years the program should be back to respectability.

The first start of the rebuilding process will no doubt be building trust.

College football is the only collegiate sport where trust is the major common denominator. More than anything, O'Brien has to ensure the Penn State followers that he has a plan and that he will do everything in his power to get the Nittany Lions back among the nation's elite football programs.

Another key element will be recruiting.

Penn State is unlike any other football program. The Nittany Lions have a top-notch stadium—which holds over 106,000—and their on-campus facilities are second-to-none.

It is hard for high school recruits not to be in awe of the Penn State football program. For years the Nittany Lions have had a top 20 recruiting class, but with the scandal and O'Brien still with the Patriots' organization recruiting will be monumental job.

O'Brien will not take over as head coach until after New England has finished its season. The Patriots have home-field advantage in the AFC Playoffs and will not play until next weekend.

Being away from the Nittany Lions' program will slow the process, but O'Brien should lay the foundation once he gets there.

Building a supporting cast will also be vital.

It is yet to be determined how many of Paterno's assistants will be retained—if any. One solution would be for O'Brien to just start anew and rebuild the coaching staff.

That may not sit well with many alumni, but O'Brien needs to inject newness into the Nittany Lions' program.

Yes, O'Brien has a tough road ahead of him and it will not be easy, but, if the faithful Penn State followers give him time, the Nittany Lions will rise again.

O'Brien's rebuilding project is similar to Hurricane Katrina. Katrina hit New Orleans and destroyed much of the landscape, but the city promised that they would be back better than ever. After six years, New Orleans is slowly becoming its old self again.

Although rebuilding the Penn State football program might not be as large an undertaking as rebuilding a city, it may seem like it to college football fans.

And the man to get them there is Bill O'Brien.