Paul Finebaum considers how frustration at Alabama hurt Bill O’Brien’s perception

As the 2025 season approaches, Bill O’Brien is preparing for his second season at Boston College. At the same time, there have seemingly been increasing polarizing opinions about him as a coach. Those were again brought to the forefront by recent comments made by one of his former quarterbacks, Thomas Castellanos.

Analyst Paul Finebaum appeared on McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning recently. There, he did his best to explain why O’Brien’s perception, despite a successful career, has taken a hit, pointing directly to his time with Alabama.

“I think some of it just arises from perceptions, correct or not,” Paul Finebaum said. “People, what they hear maybe on a radio show like this, what they read, and then those perceptions just become cemented. I think in Bill O’Brien’s case, there seemed to be a frustration with him at Alabama.”

Bill O’Brien first got to Alabama in 2021 and would become the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He spent two seasons there, and despite large amounts of success overall, it wasn’t perfect. That led to plenty of frustration with him that persists for some fans today.

“I think a lot of it had to do with his background. Even though he was so successful at Penn State, he just did not look like that prototypical college coach. Whether completely true or not, there was a wrap on him that he didn’t recruit. And when everything didn’t go perfect,” Finebaum said. “And that’s really what was expected under Nick Saban, this cloud over him started to form. It really, in many ways, has never left.”

Some quarterbacks have, seemingly, also taken issue with Bill O’Brien. Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been open about their relationship, saying, “My own offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told me I shouldn’t play quarterback.” Then, in a recent in a recent exclusive interview with On3’s Pete Nakos, former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos was critical of his relationship with the coach.

“I really wish I would have left when [Jeff] Hafley left, but I tried to give it another take,” Castellanos told On3. “BC wasn’t the school for me. I wasn’t able to be myself, and I had to try to make myself be something I wasn’t. I just didn’t like it. Bill O’Brien and I butted heads early in the season. I got banged up a few games. We had a meeting, and it kind of blew up in my face. I did so much for that program, and I did everything that I could, and I just wasn’t repaid the right way.”

At the same time, Bill O’Brien will always have been an offensive coordinator to Tom Brady on his resume. A longtime New England Patriots assistant, he was the head coach at Penn State and with the Houston Texans as well. At Penn State, he steadied the program following the Sandusky Scandal. With Houston, he led the Texans to the playoffs four different times.

Today, O’Brien is going into his second season at Boston College. There, former Alabama quarterback Dylan Lonergan is expected to compete for the starting job next season.