Dan O'Brien - Football Coach

Dan O'Brien

Title:
Assistant Coach / Safeties
Email:
Dan.Obrien@usm.edu
Phone:
266-5393

Dan O'Brien arrived at Southern Miss in time for the 2021 season and now enters his third season with the Golden Eagles. Previously overseeing the safeties, O'Brien assumes the role of defensive coordinator for the 2023 season.

O’Brien spent the previous two years at Georgia in defensive quality control after working five years at the Naval Academy, along with four coaching in the secondary, with his main focus on the safeties his final two years.

O'Brien's 2022 season featured another leap in the defensive secondary's abilities and performance as he oversaw the three of the Nasty Bunch's top four tacklers. Malik Shorts once again led the team in tackles with 99 (55 unassisted) while also tallying three interceptions. Jay Stanley terrorized opposing quarterbacks with a team-best five pass interceptions and seven pass breakups.

In his first season at Southern Miss, O’Brien coached two of the top three tacklers on the squad during the year. That includes the team’s top stopper, Malik Shorts, who collected 89 tackles (54 unassisted) to go along with a pair of interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups. Jay Stanley ranked third in tackles with 56 (30 unassisted) including 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack to go along with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

O’Brien helped his side of the ball to a No. 42 national ranking in total defense (358.5) and as well as No. 24 nationally in passing yards allowed (202.0).

Over his two seasons at Georgia, O’Brien helped the Bulldogs post a 20-4 record which included an SEC East Division title in 2019 to go along with appearances in the Sugar and Peach bowls.

In 2017, Navy finished the campaign with a 7-6 record, which included a 49-7 rout of Virginia in the Military Bowl. The defense improved in all four major categories in 2017: against the run (154.5 yards per game), the pass (215.8 yards per game), total defense (370.3 yards per game) and scoring defense (26.3 points per game).

Navy finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-5 mark and a 7-1 record in the American Athletic Conference. The Mids played Temple in the AAC Championship game and played in a bowl game (Armed Forces) for the 13th time in the last 14 years.

In 2015, Navy won a school-record 11 wins against two losses, won a bowl game for the 10th time in school history (beat Pittsburgh, 44-28, in the Military Bowl), won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the third time in the last four years, won the Lambert Trophy as the best team in the East for the first time since 1963, finished 18th in the country in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls and shared the West Division title of the AAC with Houston in Navy’s first year of being in a conference after being an Independent for 134 years.

As a team, the defense finished the 2015 season ranked 32nd in rushing defense (143.0), 40th in total defense (364.9), 26th in scoring defense (21.8), 12th in red zone defense (.737), 13th in turnovers gained (27), first in fumbles recovered (15), third in turnover margin (+1.46), first in fewest penalties per game (3.1) and first in fewest penalty yards per game (26.1).

Navy finished the 2014 season with an 8-5 record, won a bowl game (beat San Diego State, 17-16, in the Poinsettia Bowl), won a bowl game in back-to-back years for the second time in school history. The Navy defense finished 32nd in pass defense, 37th in interceptions and 38th in the country in red zone defense in 2014.

O’Brien came to Navy from Elon, where he was the defensive backs coach for three years.

Prior to working at Elon, O’Brien spent four seasons as a defensive analyst and defensive graduate assistant at Alabama under the tutelage of Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. In O’Brien’s four years at Alabama, the Crimson Tide went 43-11 and won the 2009 BCS National Championship. The Crimson Tide ranked fifth nationally in total defense, third in scoring defense and 10th in rushing defense in 2010 and ranked third in all three categories in 2009.

He has also had experience as a scouting assistant intern with the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick in 2005 and spent a year at Harvard working with the safeties in 2006.

O’Brien is a 2005 graduate of Boston College where he earned his communications degree and served as a student coach. He is married to the former Alicia Marcum and they have two sons, Rowan and Charlie.