There was a time when Carl Nassib wasn’t the nation’s sack leader.

It wasn’t long ago that he was just fighting to earn a spot on the Penn State roster. When Bill O’Brien was at the helm at Penn State, Nassib was just an oversized walk-on.

Things have changed a little bit since then.

Now, Nassib is the B1G Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which will be announced on Thursday night. O’Brien is now with the Houston Texans coaching the best defensive linemen on the planet in former Badger J.J. Watt.

On Wednesday, O’Brien shared a story about the time he called out Nassib and questioned his passion for football.

Maybe O’Brien provided the fuel Nassib needed to become what he is today.

Who knows? Perhaps O’Brien will even talk the Texans front office into drafting him to pair alongside Watt.

What a scary duo that would be.