Offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle is in his first year at Northwestern, joining head coach David Braun’s staff last winter after spending the previous year with Colorado.
O’Boyle previously served as the head coach at Division II Chadron State, leading the Eagles to three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship wins and guiding the squad to three NCAA Division II championship appearances. He was named the Liberty Mutual Division II National Coach of the Year in 2007.
The Daily spoke with O’Boyle on his background, the state of the Wildcats’ offensive line and more in a Tuesday conversation.
This interview has been edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
The Daily: What made you want to become a coach?
O’Boyle: I grew up in a coaching family. I have five older brothers and three of them were high school coaches. My dad was a little league coach. I planned on being a high school coach like my brothers. I ended up staying in college when I worked on my master’s degree, and I thought I’d stay with that route. That’s what I did.
The Daily: What were some of the biggest lessons you learned at Chadron State?
O’Boyle: We pretty much had to do everything there. We did our laundry, we mowed the fields, we painted the fields. … We did everything. You were responsible for the whole program, how it ran, including equipment and everything else, so I learned a lot.
(What) you learn at the (Division II) level, and at any level, but especially DII, really, is just the work ethic and who you surround yourself with. I was fortunate enough to have some great coaches and great kids. Man, the work ethic was phenomenal with those guys. It’s a different place. But those kids loved ball. That was the reason why we won.
The Daily: What is the difference going from Division II to Division I?
O’Boyle: You have a lot more depth, a lot more guys that are available. And, sizewise and numbers-wise, that was probably the biggest thing. I would say some of the kids I had at DII could play here. There would be no doubt in my mind, but it’s just numbers-wise, and what you have to work with.
The Daily: How was your experience with Colorado and working with coach Deion Sanders?
O’Boyle: It was definitely a learning experience. I’m glad I moved on and I’m fortunate to be here.
The Daily: What are your thoughts on the NU offensive line unit this season?
O’Boyle: They work extremely hard. We’ve got a really good group of young kids coming up. I wish our numbers were more, but where we’re at right now, we’ve just got to stay healthy. But these guys are dedicated. They work extremely hard.
The Daily: You mentioned some injuries. How does preparation shift when you have different players starting at different positions every week?
O’Boyle: You just have to be ready for that ‘next up’ attitude, man. You gotta have that mentality where somebody goes down, you might have a kid that’s a tackle that is your next best kid in the rotation, that’s gotta be able to play guard. And those guys know that. And that’s the good thing about these guys. They know the system, they know the scheme, a very intelligent group of kids that put a lot of time in there.
The Daily: Coach Braun has spoken about redshirt junior left tackle Caleb Tiernan and redshirt junior right guard Josh Thompson taking on a more pronounced leadership role. Have you seen that?
O’Boyle: They’re more vocal. They understand the scheme more, and they’re doing a great job. So the physical part needs to keep coming with our whole group, and we’ve got to get our paddle down. To me, that’s a group. We’ve got to get better every day. There is no in-between.
The Daily: What are your group’s goals for the rest of the season?
O’Boyle: Win every week, man. Win our one-on-ones and win every week.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Football: Coming off a blowout win, Northwestern prepares for red-hot Wisconsin
— Football: Northwestern’s turnover advantage fuels decisive 37-10 win over Maryland
— Football: Northwestern’s Akers puts on special teams clinic in 37-10 victory over Maryland
