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UPDATE: Report: Bill O'Brien leading candidate for Penn State job

Print | Comments () Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff January 1, 2012 11:15 AM

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By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this morning on NFL Countdown and via Twitter that Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien "has emerged as a leading candidate," for the vacant head coaching job at Penn State University.

UPDATE (11:15 a.m.): According to this tweet from USA Today's Jonny Saraceno, the O'Brien-to-Penn State deal is all but done:

Wrote Saraceno:

A person with knowledge of the Penn State hiring tells USA TODAY that only contract details need to be finalized before O'Brien is the man.

(End update.)

O'Brien was identified by NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora earlier this week as a candidate for several coaching positions, including with the Kansas City Chiefs and Penn State.

Schefter this morning tweeted his report as follows: "Patriots OC Bill O’Brien has emerged as a leading candidate, if not the leading candidate, to be hired as Joe Paterno’s successor at Penn St"

O'Brien was in the national spotlight earlier this month after a sideline spat with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after Brady threw an interception in the game vs. the Redskins. He was named the Patriots' quarterbacks coach in 2009, and has been with the team since 2007 when he was a coaching assistant. O'Brien played football at Brown University, and he is from Andover, Mass.