The Virginia Tech Coaching Files: Danny O'Brien

James Franklin has kept himself rather busy over the last several weeks.

Fresh off what was a miraculous end to the Class of 2026 recruiting cycle, Franklin not only added 27 transfers to his roster, but slowly built out his offensive and defensive coaching staffs.

Some of these assistants are familiar to the Virginia Tech fan base, while others may be unknown. This is the first column in a series that digs deeper into the backgrounds of James Franklin's assistants, starting with quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien.

O'Brien's Background

Age: 35 | Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Danny O'Brien played high school football in North Carolina before committing to the Maryland Terrapins as a three-star prospect. His position coach at Maryland? James Franklin.

O'Brien redshirted in 2009 before bursting onto the scene in 2010. O'Brien threw for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first season on the field, earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. His sophomore season was much less successful, and O'Brien transferred to Wisconsin for his junior season. That was effectively the end of O'Brien's college career — O'Brien was benched just a few weeks into the season and finished his career at Division II Catawba College.

College didn't end well, but O'Brien did last a few years in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a backup.

Coaching Experience

After six seasons in the CFL, O'Brien transitioned into coaching with the BC Lions. He spent one year there before joining Franklin at Penn State as an analyst.

Here's O'Brien's journey with the Nittany Lions:

• 2021-2022: Offensive Analyst
• 2023: Graduate Assistant
• 2024-2025: Quarterbacks Coach

It's worth noting that just four years into his coaching career, Franklin trusted O'Brien to coach quarterbacks at the Power 4 level. That's a lot of responsibility for a young coach.

What Does He Bring to the Table?

O'Brien took over as the quarterbacks coach with an incumbent starter in former five-star recruit Drew Allar.

Allar took a giant leap forward in his first season as a starter, one year before O'Brien became his position coach. Allar may not have regressed under O'Brien's tutelage, but he didn't get a whole lot better either. Consider these numbers.

Under O'Brien and first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, the passing game opened up significantly. While Allar turned it over substantially more, he improved in several areas. Allar's completion percentage increased by more than six points, and he finished the year with increases in yards per attempt and passer rating. Allar also rushed for more yards and touchdowns in his junior season.

Allar's senior season should have been the culmination of three-plus years of development. Instead, Allar regressed across the board, and Penn State hit the skids. Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Northwestern, and his head coach was fired shortly thereafter.

Penn State's backup, former four-star prospect Ethan Grunkemeyer, got off to a rough start as the Nittany Lions' QB1. He did, however, finish the season throwing five touchdowns in Penn State's final four games, completing 75 percent of his passes. Grunkemeyer's second-half resurgence was supported by a strong running game, a simplified passing attack, and an easier schedule.

Kotelnicki and O'Brien fostered some of Allar's growth in 2024, but the trio took a step backward this season. O'Brien's track record is limited, so there's not much to go off of.

As far as recruiting goes, O'Brien hasn't had the opportunity to be a lead recruiter very often. Penn State signed just one quarterback in the Class of 2025, Bekkem Kritza, a three-star prospect from Florida who transferred to Alabama A&M this winter.  O'Brien helped Franklin earn a commitment from Troy Huhn while at Penn State, and likely pushed Huhn to sign with the Hokies before taking Virginia Tech's quarterback job.

In a figurative sense, O'Brien is bringing two quarterbacks with him — Grunkemeyer and Bryce Baker, a former four-star recruit that Penn State pursued before Baker signed with North Carolina. Baker offers long-term upside as a redshirt freshman, while Grunkemeyer is positioned to start right away.

Is O'Brien a Good Hire?

Even the biggest supporters of James Franklin have to take a wait-and-see approach with Danny O'Brien. Penn State fans weren't exactly upset with him following Franklin to Virginia Tech, a sign that Penn Staters were dissatisfied with the Nittany Lions' quarterback play over the last two years.

This is a high-risk, high-reward hire. O'Brien has played and coached in various offenses and is a bit of an up-and-comer. At 35, his best coaching days are likely ahead of him. Franklin clearly trusted him to continue developing a toolsy quarterback like Drew Allar, but that trust generated mixed results.

Some reasonably expected Franklin to draw in a veteran coach with a lengthy track record of developing quarterbacks. After all, the Hokies are ponying up lots of cash for Franklin to pay his assistants. Instead, Franklin opted for familiarity and potential.

When it comes to O'Brien, Franklin is taking a calculated risk. He clearly sees something in O'Brien as a coach, or else he wouldn't have fast-tracked him to the position he's in. O'Brien might be learning on the job for another couple of seasons, but Tech fans would love to have the level of quarterback production that Nittany Lion fans have enjoyed over the last few years.

The good news is that O'Brien won't be working with average talent. Both Grunkemeyer and Baker were above-average prospects and possess the tools to succeed at the Power 4 level. Whether or not they reach their potential is in part up to O'Brien.