Boston College football: Bill O'Brien, Brian Flores linked as potential Jeff Hafley replacements

Bill O'Brien, Brian Flores are named as potential Boston College football head coach candidates after Jeff Hafley left.

The college football coaching cycle took another turn when Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley shockingly took the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator job. Now, the Boston College football program is searching for a new head coach as the calendar turns to February.

Moving from a college football head coach in a Power Five conference to a coordinator job in the NFL is quite a surprising choice, but that's the reality of the game now. As such, a number of candidates have been thrown out as possible replacements for the Boston College football job. A few big names have popped up, including Bill O'Brien and Brian Flores, as Bruce Feldman of The Athletic mentioned. Here are all the candidates Feldman mentioned:

Liam Coen, Kentucky OC
Al Washington, Notre Dame DL
Jason Candle, Toledo HC
Anthony Campanile, Dolphins LBs
Rob Chudzinski, Boston College associate HC
Bill O'Brien, Ohio State OC
Brian Flores, Vikings DC
Justin Frye, Ohio State OL coach

O'Brien just became the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, but there is no secret he wants to get another chance at being a head coach, so maybe this ends up being the right job for him. And, what Feldman mentioned about his candidacy is quite eye-opening:

‘O’Brien is a wild card option. He’s a Boston native and former Brown player. He flirted with the BC job the last time it opened. He did an impressive job at Penn State at a rough time to be there. He went 15-9 before moving on to the NFL. The timing could be tough as he just accepted the Ohio State OC job, but this one could be intriguing for him on some levels.'

Flores also used to play at Boston College, so going back to be the head coach could be appealing for him as well. As Feldman notes, both of these options are a bit of a wild card, but it's a call worth making to gauge the interest.

Having to find a new head coach this late into the offseason will be a tough hurdle for Boston College. However, after making three bowls games in the past four seasons, it could be a good chance for a coach looking for a bit of a career resurgence, as is the case with both O'Brien and Flores.