Former BC, NC State head coach Tom O’Brien named Navy color analyst

By Zach Barnett

June 29, 2017

Tom O’Brien is about to do his third tour of duty with the Navy football program.

O’Brien was announced as the color analyst of the Midshipmen’s radio network on Thursday, replacing Omar Nelson, who is now Navy’s football recruiting coordinator.

“After a 25-year sabbatical from the Naval Academy I am thrilled to return to Annapolis and be a part of the radio team,” O’Brien said in a statement. “I am honored that Chet Gladchuk thought of me for this position when it came open. Kenny and his staff have done a remarkable job over the last nine years and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the program again.”

O’Brien graduated from Navy in 1971; he also played three years on the Middies’ football squad as a defensive end. He served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps and then started his coaching career at his alma mater, coaching tackles and tight ends from 1975-81. He would go on to become the head coach at Boston College, where he compiled a school-record 75-45 record with eight straight bowl appearances from 1997-06. O’Brien left for N.C. State after the ’06 season, where he racked up a 40-35 mark from 2007-12.

O’Brien last coached as Virginia’s assistant head coach for offense and tight ends coach from 2013-14, where he was let go alongside Mike London.

O’Brien spent the past two seasons doing color commentary for ESPN3.

The Navy Radio Network is carried on 10 stations, mostly in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, but also in Jacksonville, San Diego and Seattle, and also on SIRIUSXM satellite radio.

What makes Vince Marrow a good recruiter? Some of his signees give an answer

Kentucky tight ends coach Vince Marrow is the Wildcats' top recruiter, but what makes him so successful?

By Joe Mussatto
June 28, 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tight ends coach Vince Marrow was credited as the lead or co-recruiter for 10 of Kentucky’s 24 signees in the 2017 class. The four highest-ranked Kentucky signees — Lynn Bowden, Josh Paschal, JaVonte Richardson and Tyrell Ajian — were all recruited by Marrow.

Marrow was the only Kentucky coach inside 247Sports’ top-20 SEC recruiter rankings for 2017. Just before National Signing Day, Marrow was ranked the conference’s best recruiter by SEC Country.

Those are the accolades, but we wanted to find out why and how. What makes Marrow a good recruiter? That’s the question SEC Country asked Richardson, Ajian, Alex King and their parents and coaches on a recent trip through Ohio as part of our Next Generation series.

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JaVonte Richardson: “I think that what makes Coach Marrow so good at what he does is that he keeps it real. He’s so down to earth. He don’t tell you what you want to hear, he tells you what he thinks you should hear. That was my biggest thing with him. He kept it real.”

Devlin Culliver (JaVonte’s high school coach): “He’s from the city of Youngstown just like I am. Grew up on the south side of Youngstown. He understands language of the inner city. At the same time, he also understands the language of the suburbs. He’s able to make that blend and make himself presentable to every type of kid, every type of family. And he’s honest. I know him outside of football. But when I’m sitting there listening to him talk to players I can see why they want to go to Kentucky.”

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Tyrell Ajian: “I feel like Coach Marrow knows how to talk to kids and get along with them. It might sound funny, but the way that some people come off talking to you, like their sense of humor with things, it plays a big part. He definitely makes you feel comfortable.”

Nikki Ajian (Tyrell’s mom): “I ask a lot of questions, and he was able to answer all my questions. And if he wasn’t they were answered timely.”

Jamie Masi (Tyrell’s high school coach): “I don’t know. You’ve got to talk to some of the recruits that he’s getting. From where I’m sitting on this side of the desk, very similar to all the other coaches.”

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Alex King: “He knows what he wants, I know what I want.”

Andrea King (Alex’s mom): “I feel like when I asked him questions I got a direct answer. I didn’t feel like he was telling me things I wanted to hear. He was truthful and that was another thing. I would ask some other organizations, ‘Why now? Why did you wait to recruit him?’ He’s been there and done that. He’s played in the game. He’s a successful coach, he’s got a successful history in what he does and that plays a part, too. It’s good to have examples of people who’ve been there and done that. He’s a family man and is supportive of his own children. That was good to see.”

Nate Ebner led NFL with perfect special teams tackles record