But in Penn State circles, I suspect there will always be a cloud above Bill O'Brien's good legacy -- a perpetual "yeah, but..." -- and to me, there's a tragedy in that. And you know what? As Bill O'Brien looks out the window of the Texans private jet about to touch down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, he probably doesn't care.
But unlike his 2013 recruiting class counterpart Adam Breneman -- whose Tweet last night sounded like a commitment -- Hackenberg's father told Audrey Snyder of the Patriot News that he's in wait-and-see mode.
According to a source close to the process, Penn State expects the search to last "a couple of weeks" rather than the drawn out process to hire O'Brien. The source also acknowledged the upcoming Signing Day on February 5 was a date of "importance" but would not comment on any set date for the search to end.
But one section of the Penn State community remained in lock-step solidarity. Nearly all of Bill O'Brien's current and former players who were compelled to speak publicly had nothing but admiration and glowing words for their outgoing coach.
The loss of Bill O’Brien stings, but there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate the tenure of Joe Paterno’s successor. While his departure to the NFL after only two seasons is a bitter ending to an otherwise sweet story, O’Brien deserves immense credit and appreciation for stepping into the role of head football coach during the most tumultuous and tragic episode in school history and leading the Nittany Lions to an incredible 15-9 record.
Rumors have been circulating for days about various coaches that are interested in replacing O'Brien, and now Athletic Director David Joyner and co. will be tasked with finding a replacement. We compiled a list of some potential candidates, but remember, as we learned with O'Brien, there's no guarantee that Penn State will hire anyone who is mentioned early in the process.