3 new college football coaches who will thrive right away, 2 who will struggle

Bill O'Brien will win big in a hurry now with the Boston College Eagles

Of the 10 head-coaching hires made after Nick Saban decided to retire, this was our collective favorite over on False Start. Admittedly, it wasn't a great field to choose from, but Cody Williams and I really like the fit and the opportunity for Bill O'Brien at Boston College. The former Penn State and Houston Texans head coach is back in his native Massachusetts with a great deal of energy, too.

What you have to remember is it has been a very long time since O'Brien was even a head coach. He was whacked four games into the 2020 NFL season by Houston. Not until last season were the Texans anything to write home about since he was let go. After spending time as the Alabama offensive coordinator, as well as a bad run with the New England Patriots, O'Brien is back in charge.

The other big thing to keep in mind is that it looked as though Jeff Hafley had turned the corner midway through last year at BC. He found his quarterback of the future in Thomas Castellanos. The Eagles were a much better team after playing Florida State tough in the Red Bandana game. With O'Brien being somewhat of a quarterback whisperer, I would not be shocked if BC went 8-4 this fall.

The Eagles are not ready quite yet to compete for playoff berths, but this team is really trending up.