Boston College Athletic Director Blake James announced on Friday afternoon that Bill O’Brien has been named the school’s 37th head football coach.

O’Brien, 54, will be officially introduced at a news conference on Thursday at 11 a.m. inside the Barber Room at the Yawkey Center.

O’Brien has close ties to the region and BC. O’Brien grew up in Andover and played football at St. John’s Prep in Danvers and Brown University. O’Brien’s wife, Colleen, is a BC alum and their adult sons reside in the area.

“I am thrilled to welcome Bill O’Brien, his wife Colleen, and his sons Jack and Michael to Boston College,” said James. “When we embarked on this search, we prioritized finding a coach who believes in our mission and vision, who has a plan for greatness and work tirelessly to elevate BC football.”

The terms of O’Brien’s deal were not released, but there was speculation that it would include a base salary at $5 million and be back loaded with incentives. BC can easily cover the expense because its TV football package deal is projected to bring in $37 million in 2024, $39.6 million in 2025 and $54 million in 2026. BC is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Athletic departments across FBS have seen their administrative costs soar through unrestricted use of the transfer portal and direct monetary payments to the student athletes through Name, Image, and Likeness.

BC has a lot of catching up to do on both fronts and O’Brien will likely have a supervisory role in its management. O’Brien’s first order of business is to assemble his coaching staff and have a framework for the program in place when spring football starts in mid-March. BC opens the season at reigning ACC champion Florida State on Labor Day.

“Bill is a gifted leader who has a tremendous amount of success as a head coach and coordinator at both the collegiate and NFL levels,” said James. “His passion for teaching and developing young men made him a great fit to lead Boston College to greater heights.”

O’Brien was the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator last season but left to become the offensive coordinator on Ryan Day’s staff at Ohio State. Day is a former quarterbacks coach at BC.

O’Brien put the Buckeyes on hold when Jeff Hafley left BC after four seasons to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly has resigned his position to become Day’s offensive coordinator at OSU. Kelly and Notre Dame defensive line coach and BC alum Al Washington were rumored to have been interviewed during the search process.

Hafley was under pressure to secure a minimum of eight wins this past season, but the Eagles finished at 6-6 by closing out the campaign with three straight losses.

Hafley salvaged the season with an upset victory over No. 24 Southern Methodist in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 at Fenway Park. But Hafley would have begun the 2024 season on the hot seat and BC plays a daunting slate of ACC and non-league games, an unnerving set of circumstances that facilitated his return to the NFL.

Former BC Athletic Director Patrick Kraft tendered Hafley a five-year extension on Nov. 29, 2021, through the 2026 season and he made a reported $3,120,012 last year. It could have cost BC up to $12 million to buy Hafley out of his existing contract.

O’Brien’s made his reputation working with NFL quarterbacks, most notably Tom Brady with New England and former Clemson standout Deshaun Watson with the Houston Texans. He also worked with Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young while on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2021 and 2022.

BC is set at the quarterback position. Sophomore Thomas Castellanos, a dual threat transfer from Central Florida, was the lynchpin of the Eagles’ offense last season. Castellanos appeared in 12 games, with 11 starts, and emerged as one of the most productive field generals in the ACC.

Castellanos finished the regular season third in the country in rushing yards by a quarterback with 957 and tied the school’s QB record with 11 rushing touchdowns. On the passing side, Castellanos completed 178-of-312 throws for 2,146 yards with 13 picks and 15 touchdowns. In BC’s 23-14 win over SMU, Castellanos rushed for 156 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns.

O’Brien got his first head coaching job at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and returned the Nittany Lions’ program to respectability. O’Brien was the 2012 recipient of the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year award and George Munger Award for Coach of the Year.

Brien also has extensive coaching experience in the ACC. O’Brien served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech, running backs coach at Maryland and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Duke.

O’Brien’s NFL experience included a previous stint with the Patriots from 2007-11 and as head coach of the Houston Texans from 2013-20.