Hokie ClubThe O'Brien File
Virginia Tech XP: First season
Coaching XP: Seventh season
Hometown: Kernersville, North Carolina
High School: East Forsyth High School (N.C.)
Alma Mater: Maryland (2011)
Playing XP: Quarterback at Maryland (2009-11), Wisconsin (2012) and Catawba (2013) ... Captain at Catawba (2013)
| COACHING TIMELINE | ||
| Seasons | Organization / School | Title |
| 2026-pres. | Virginia Tech |
Quarterbacks |
| 2024-25 | Penn State |
Quarterbacks |
| 2023 | Penn State |
Offensive Graduate Assistant |
| 2021-22 | Penn State |
Offensive Analyst |
| 2020 | CFL - BC Lions |
Running Backs |
| POSTSEASON GAMES (9) | ||
| Seasons | Organization / School | Game |
| 2025 | Penn State | Pinstripe Bowl |
| 2024 | Penn State | CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl |
| 2024 | Penn State | CFP Quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl |
| 2024 | Penn State | CFP First Round |
| 2023 | Penn State | Peach Bowl |
| 2023 | Penn State | Rose Bowl Game |
| 2022 | Penn State | Outback Bowl |
| 2012 | Wisconsin | Rose Bowl Game (player) |
| 2010 | Maryland | Military Bowl (player) |
| PROMINENT NFL PUPILS | ||
| Position | Name | Accolade |
| QB | Sean Clifford | 2023 NFL Draft, Fifth Round (Green Bay) |
Coaching Highlights
• Danny O'Brien enters his first season on the Hokies’ staff, following five seasons at Penn State, including the last two as quarterbacks coach.
• O’Brien tutored quarterback Drew Allar over the past two seasons. Allar finished his career fourth at Penn State in all-time passing yards (7,402), third in career TD passes (61), fourth in career completions (633), first in career completion percentage (63.1) and first in career interception percentage (1.3).
• During the 2024 season under O’Brien’s direction, Allar finished third in the Big Ten in passing yards (3,327; 17th nationally), and fourth in QBR (77.7; 16th), passing efficiency (153.5; 13th), passing touchdowns (24), yards per attempt (8.4; 16th), yards per completion (12.7) and points responsible for (180).
• Allar finished second in a single-season at Penn State in completion percentage (66.5), third in passing efficiency (153.3), third in passing yardage (3,327), fourth in completions (262), tied for fourth in touchdown passes (24) and tied for fifth in 200-yard games (9).
• O'Brien was tasked with tutoring Allar in his first season as a starting quarterback in 2023, and Allar went on to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media.
• Allar opened his collegiate career with 311 passing attempts without an interception, an FBS record, bettering Baylor’s Robert Griffin III’s 209 attempts in 2008.
• He joined Tennessee's Hendon Hooker (2022) as the only FBS quarterbacks ever to throw 25+ touchdown passes and 2 or less interceptions in a season.
• Allar began the season with 251 pass attempts without an interception, the sixth-most to start a season since 2000, trailing only Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron (428; 2012), Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (285; 2013), Western Kentucky’s Tyrrell Pigrome (278; 2020), NC State’s Ryan Finley (274; 2017) and West Virginia’s Geno Smith (273; 2012).
• Allar posted the lowest interception percentage (0.51) in a single season in Penn State history.
• He finished third in a single season at Penn State in touchdown passes (25), fifth in touchdowns responsible for (29), sixth in completions (233), seventh in attempts (389), ninth in completion percentage (59.9) and tied for ninth in 200+ yard passing games (7).
• In 2022, PSU’s offense finished third in the Big Ten in fourth down conversion percentage (.700; 6th nationally), scoring offense (35.8; 19th) and total offense (433.6; 33rd).
• Quarterback Sean Clifford closed out his career under O’Brien’s watch, breaking school records in wins by a starting quarterback (32), completions (833), passing touchdowns (86), passing yards (10,661) and total yards (11,734).
• During O'Brien's first season in Happy Valley, Clifford finished sixth in the Big Ten in total offense (251.5) in 2021.
• Prior to joining the Nittany Lions' staff, O'Brien served as the running backs coach for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
Playing Highlights
• O'Brien played quarterback for James Franklin at the University of Maryland for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, where Franklin was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
• He earned freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and was voted the ACC Rookie of the Year following his redshirt freshman season in 2010.
• O’Brien spent the 2012 season at the University of Wisconsin and the 2013 season at Catawba College.
• He played quarterback in the Canadian Football League for six seasons and won a Grey Cup with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016.