Meet the Coach Behind Penn State's Quarterback Success

Danny O'Brien once lived above Penn State coach James Franklin's garage. Now he's in charge of the Nittany Lions' quarterback room.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Three years ago, Danny O’Brien was first dipping his toes into the college football coaching world. He joined the Penn State football program as an analyst, bringing valuable experience as a quarterback, both at Maryland and in the CFL. And as he made that adjustment, O’Brien needed a place to live. So he spent some time in the apartment above Penn State coach James Franklin’s garage.

“He's a very gracious landlord. The guest room at his house is insane,” O’Brien said on a recent conference call. “It's one of the best places I've ever lived, quite frankly. So I had a good deal there, [I’ve] since moved on, but I would give him an A-plus or a five-star rating if it was an Airbnb.”

Franklin has called O’Brien a "rising star" in coaching, and Penn State quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula will rave about O'Brien when given the opportunity. Since joining the program in 2021, the 34-year-old O’Brien has ascended from analyst to graduate assistant to his current role as quarterbacks coach, leading one of the most versatile position groups in the Big Ten.

From analyst to quarterbacks coach

As a player, O’Brien spent three years (2009-11) as a quarterback at Maryland. Franklin was his offensive coordinator through the 2010 season, shortly before he accepted his first head coaching position at Vanderbilt. O’Brien, who later played one season at Wisconsin and another at Catawba, racked up 7,099 career passing yards and 47 touchdowns before playing six seasons in the Canadian Football League. 

In 2021, not long after O’Brien’s playing career ended, Franklin brought his former quarterback onto Penn State’s coaching staff. Considering Franklin played a role in his recruitment to Maryland back when he was a high school quarterback, O’Brien has a longtime relationship with his now-boss, also briefly his landlord.

“I met him when I was 16 years old, and I'm 34 now, so I've known him for over half my life,” O’Brien said of Franklin. “He's been the same guy now as he was when he recruited me. … He's a great person to work for. He's a great person to play for. So that's special to me, to come into work every day and your boss be someone you met when you were a kid.”

When the NCAA changed its rules this year allowing staff members to coach, Penn State put O’Brien’s experience to use. O’Brien said he “organically” became Penn State’s quarterbacks coach, taking the role in February. As a graduate assistant, O’Brien doesn’t own one of the program’s 10 full-time assistant roles yet still plays a vital role in the growth and success of arguably the game’s most important position at a program now aiming for its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

“If you really, truly want to coordinate, sometimes you sacrifice a position group,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said on the Penn State Coaches Show. “Having Danny, and all the coaches on the staff, allows me the flexibility to truly coordinate.”

Added O’Brien, “[I was] super grateful and excited to take on that challenge and run the room by myself. It’s been super gratifying, to be honest. I mean, starting out as an analyst, … I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to coach these guys. It makes it special to have been a part of all their recruiting process and knowing them and their families and what makes them tick.”

Development from Penn State’s QB1 and QB2

With O’Brien leading the position group and Kotelnicki instilling creativity into the Nittany Lions’ offense, both Drew Allar and Beau Pribula have taken significant leaps in their development this season.

Allar, the second-year starter, has become increasingly more mobile while playing with a new-found fire and using his arm talent to make big plays. After his sophomore campaign identified areas to improve, Allar in many ways has become the quarterback fans hoped to see.

“Our mantra in our [quarterbacks] room is being the thermostat of the team, getting guys going when we need it, and staying calm in times of adversity,” O’Brien said. “Through the first three quarters of the season, [Allar’s] done a really good job of that.”

Pribula’s most significant development in 2024 has been his true two-way impact. Already known for his rushing talent, the redshirt sophomore has been deployed as a passer more often through nine games, throwing for 204 yards and three touchdowns with a 79.2 percent completion rate.

“Obviously we know the type of athlete and mover he is on the field and the threat with his legs,” O’Brien said. “And it's a balance between having that, but not leaning on it too much, being able to work through progressions from the pocket. I think that's where his biggest area of growth has been, is he can hurt you from the pocket. He's not just a Wildcat guy that'll throw it only when necessary.”

As a former quarterback, the way O’Brien processes the game is becoming a major asset for the Nittany Lions. 

“To just kind of see how he played and how he went through his process, and how he looks at the game of football, I think helps me a lot,” Pribula said. “Ever since I got here, really, Danny’s been super consistent. There's one thing that's super consistent about him, and he loves football. He just loves the game of football.”

Penn State is among the country’s fortunate teams with a clear QB1 who possesses NFL-level arm talent and a QB2 who still plays a significant role as a true Swiss Army knife. O’Brien has helped shape Allar and Pribula into the versatile players they’ve become this season. And Penn State’s quarterbacks coach already has come a long way since joining Franklin’s program as an analyst while staying in his luxurious garage apartment. Even as a coach, O’Brien continues to push the limits of his individual growth.

“I tell our guys all the time, like, how hypocritical it would be of me to constantly be pushing them to get better, both at their strengths and weaknesses, if I'm doing the same thing now that I did three years ago. That doesn't make sense to me,” O’Brien said. “It's just kind of a daily, weekly, evolving process of just trying to get better at your craft. And now that I'm not playing and I'm coaching, it's trying to be a better teacher, because at the end of the day, that's all [coaches] are, are teachers.”

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.