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Thoughts of becoming a coach crossed Danny O’Brien’s mind periodically while he was playing hockey, basketball and football at the youth level, first in Minnesota and then in North Carolina.
But O’Brien didn’t seriously consider coaching as a profession until after he had committed to Maryland 15 years ago.
“I’ll never forget it,” O’Brien said. “I got my first playbook. I went up there to visit and went through the installs. It just clicked. I was like, ‘I want to do this one day.’ I knew then I definitely wanted to coach.”
The 33-year-old O’Brien is in his first full season as Penn State’s quarterbacks coach after spending the last three seasons as an analyst and graduate assistant. With new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki not overseeing one specific area, head coach James Franklin has put O’Brien in charge of directing the most important position on his football team.
“I was honored by it and I was motivated by it,” O’Brien said. “With this being the first room to myself at a place like this, it’s not a responsibility I take lightly. I don’t feel entitled to it. I feel very lucky. I want to prove they made the right decision by getting our guys prepared. That’s how I wake up every morning.”
Franklin has known O’Brien for a long time. He was Maryland’s offensive coordinator when he recruited O’Brien to play quarterback for the Terrapins. Under the guidance of Franklin and then-Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, O’Brien was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2010.
“I think he’s a rising star in the (coaching) profession,” Franklin said last year. “I really do.”
Franklin is not alone. Nittany Lions quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula also sing the praises for the guy who’s been a coach, mentor and friend to them.
“When I first…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-danny-o-brien-161800495.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2024-07-31 16:18:00
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