The rumors and speculation are over; the unfortunate verdict is finally in. After spending two seasons at Penn State, Bill O'Brien will forgo the remaining three years on his contract to become the head coach of the Houston Texans.
Although Houston Texans owner Bob McNair is keeping quiet about his team's highly publicized coaching search, ESPN Insider Chris Mortensen reported on NFL Live earlier this afternoon that a deal with Bill O'Brien is "imminent." Mortensen said that the Texans are expected to officially hire O'Brien within the next 24 hours.
Penn State has had a long-standing tradition of sending quality players to the NFL, and the 2013 season was no exception. Highlighted by Pro Bowl-worthy performances by NaVorro Bowman, Cameron Wake, and Tamba Hali, all 25 former Nittany Lions on NFL rosters in 2013 represented the Blue and White with pride and honor.
According to a report by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the university is reportedly preparing to lose O'Brien by going after Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.
“I just off the phone with him," Holley said. "He said he isn’t going. It’s not true."
Three former Penn State football players were named to the 2014 National Football League Pro Bowl on Friday night. Cameron Wake, NaVorro Bowman, and Tamba Hali will all represent their respective pro teams in the Pro Bowl, the NFL all-star game, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 26 at 7 p.m. This is the first season that the Pro Bowl will not be divided by conference, instead featuring a draft as captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will select teams from the pool of players voted into the game.