Photo credit Barry Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Bill O’Brien’s recent hirings of offensive line coach Kurt Anderson and wide receivers coach Joe Dailey illustrate that O’Brien not only values good coaches who can recruit, he also wants coaches who have NFL experience and can develop players,

One of O’Brien’s biggest selling points as a recruiter the past two seasons has been NFL development. If you come to Boston College, not only will you get a great education, you will also get NFL caliber coaching and you will be developed to play on Sundays.

While O’Brien had those type of coaches on his staff in Tim Lewis and Matt Applebaum, he needed to make changes after a 2-10 season and he moved on from both of them plus receivers coach Darrell Wyatt. Despite the changes, O’Brien still wanted coaches with NFL experience on their resume, thus the hirings of Anderson and Dailey.

O’Brien will be looking for similar experience in his next defensive coordinator. He is not just going to hire someone with college experience. He is going to want a coach who can run a pro-style defense and coach players like they are already in the NFL. He had all of that with Lewis but unfortunately, it did not work out.

The pressure is on O’Brien to get these hires right. The Boston College administration has already proven that they are willing to make a commitment to him and the program. He needs to turn things around next season and win. In order to do that, he needs to revamp the staff and the roster. He started with the staff but his next hire will be his most important.

As long as O’Brien hires the right defensive coordinator with the requisite experience to fix the defense, the program will be fine. O’Brien has to stick to what he believes in when it comes to what he is looking for in a coach. He cannot waver. He has to hire a solid recruiter who can develop NFL talent.