Is Bill O’Brien on college football’s shortest leash? The Boston College Eagles’ head coach is currently overseeing a campaign of epic proportions, falling to 1-10 with a Week 12 loss to the No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. While no one expected an Eagles win, it’s just the latest defeat in a lost season that saw the program miss out on bowl eligibility long ago.
It gets worse. Under O’Brien, Boston College has yet to secure a win in the ACC this season. The team is staring down the barrel of its worst season since 2015.
If the Eagles decide the situation is unsalvageable, who could they look to hire as a replacement for O’Brien?
Al Washington, DL Coach, Notre Dame
Although Al Washington doesn’t have head coaching experience, he’s got something arguably more valuable: deep roots in the BC community and a fanbase that would rally behind one of their own. The Ohio native was a three-year starter for the Eagles (2002-2005) before coaching on both sides of the ball in Chestnut Hill from 2012 to 2016.
After his BC stint, he climbed the ladder at Cincinnati, Michigan, and Ohio State before Marcus Freeman brought him to South Bend as Notre Dame’s DL coach. Washington was a legitimate candidate when the BC job opened last time around, and he should receive serious consideration again.
Mike Reed, Special Teams Coordinator, Clemson
Like Washington, Mike Reed is a former BC player (1991-1994). He’s spent the last two decades climbing the coaching ladder and proving he belongs at the highest levels of the game. Reed landed at NC State for six years before Dabo Swinney brought him to Clemson in 2013. He has been in Death Valley ever since, coaching defensive backs before adding special teams coordinator duties in 2022.
The Boston College ties run deep, and he’d instantly have buy-in from alumni and fans. The concerns? He’s never been a coordinator on the defensive side despite decades in the profession, and special teams coordinator isn’t exactly the traditional launching pad for a Power Four head coaching gig.
Mike Tressel, DC, Wisconsin Badgers
Mike Tressel, the nephew of former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, has served as Luke Fickell’s defensive coordinator since 2021, beginning at Cincinnati before following him to Wisconsin. Prior to hitching his wagon to Fickell, Tressel spent over a decade under Mark Dantonio at Michigan State, serving as DC from 2018-2019 and earning a brief stint as acting head coach when Dantonio retired in 2020.
Tressel has been universally praised everywhere he’s coached, spending nearly all of his DI time working for either Dantonio or Fickell, with a brief stint on his uncle Jim’s staff at Ohio State mixed in for good measure.
He represents a safe, fundamentally sound hire who could stabilize BC’s defense and bring much-needed discipline to Chestnut Hill. The question is whether the program wants someone who can inject genuine excitement and recruiting juice into a program that’s been starved for relevance.
Scot Loeffler, QBs Coach, Philadelphia Eagles
A familiar face to BC fans, Scot Loeffler ran the Eagles’ offense from 2016-18 before taking the Bowling Green head coach job, and he quietly put together a respectable track record with the Falcons: back-to-back bowl appearances in a MAC that’s notoriously difficult to navigate consistently, plus a statement win over Georgia Tech.
Loeffler’s familiarity with the program’s infrastructure and recruiting footprint in the Northeast could accelerate Boston College’s rebuild. If BC wants a known commodity who won’t torch the program to the ground, he’s a real option.
Jason Candle, HC, Toledo
Jason Candle has been the man in Toledo since taking over in 2016, and for good reason: four straight bowl appearances, two 11-win seasons (2017, 2023), two MAC titles, and a pair of MAC Coach of the Year awards.
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The Ohio native is a bright offensive mind who knows how to score, evidenced by Toledo leading the MAC in total offense (419.1 yards per game) and scoring (32.3 points per game) in 2023 before falling in the Arizona Bowl.
He’s a Toledo lifer who climbed the ranks from TEs coach in 2009 to OC to his current role. Candle was tied to the position before O’Brien was hired, so why not dip back into the well?
BC needs a new Football Coach. We can’t even beat the worst teams.
Boston College should take a hard look at Bob Chesney for the head coaching job before Penn State hires him. He’s a winner at every place he has coached