Nebraska Football: Bill O’Brien reportedly ‘in play’ for the Huskers

Is Bill O’Brien preparing to leave the Alabama Crimson Tide in order to become the next head coach of the Nebraska football team? Fox analyst Bruce Feldman thinks he’s the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator is definitely “in play” for the Huskers.

Feldman appeared during Fox’s broadcast of college football on Saturday for a short segment where he talked about the openings for several Power 5 programs. When it came to the Huskers, the analyst said that he still thinks that Kansas Jayhawks’ head coach Lance Leipold is the name most often associated with Nebraska football. However, if the Cornhuskers decide to go with a coordinator instead, he believes that Bill O’Brien is the guy they’ll be chasing.

O’Brien was mentioned among three other coordinators who could be getting Power 5 head coaching jobs soon. Feldman mentioned USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Illinois DC Ryan Walters, and Georgia OC Todd Monkey as the other coordinators alongside O’Brien as the guys who could get getting a head job relatively soon.

As is usually the case with these kinds of rumors, the analyst didn’t say just who told him that the Nebraska football team was suddenly looking hard at O’Brien. Of course, he is a name that’s been mentioned before for the job, especially right after Scott Frost was fired.

There are plenty of analysts out there that believe ‘Bama’s offensive coordinator is a perfect fit for the Huskers. He knows the Big Ten quite well, after taking over the head coaching job at Penn State.

He also knows how to build a program up after it’s hit a rough patch, as he did with the Nittany Lions. However, O’Brien’s tenure with the Houston Texans often leaves a bad taste in fans mouths.

It’s certainly possible that the Crimson Tide OC is just one of those guys who is better suited for the college ranks. It will almost be a little while before Nebraska football fans learn just how realistic a Bill O’Brien hire in Lincoln would be.