10 College Football Coaches Who Are Destined for the NFL
How many current NFL head coaches served in the same capacity at the college level?
Five: Seattle’s Pete Carroll (USC, 2001-09), Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly (Oregon, 2009-12), Houston’s Bill O’Brien (Penn State, 2012-13), the New York Giants’ Tom Coughlin (Boston College, 1991-93) and Detroit’s Jim Caldwell (Wake Forest, 1993-2000).
Identifying who will make the next successful transition is not as easy as saying, “He’s a great college coach, so he’ll definitely do well in the NFL” (think Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban), nor is it safe to say “great college coaches can’t win in the pros” (Carroll).
Here are a handful of things recent level jumpers have in common: multiple assistant roles in the NFL, a limited number of college head jobs, a primarily offensive background and a winning record in college.
Though these college guys may not sound like the most obvious NFL prospects, they most completely fit the mold of their predecessors. While it doesn’t mean they’re sure things, it’s definitely worth keeping them in mind.
Bobby Petrino, Louisville
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Hasn’t Bobby Petrino already been a head coach in the NFL?
Yes, Petrino coached the Atlanta Falcons for 13 games in 2007, going 3-10 before resigning, a job that was sandwiched between his first run at Louisville (2003-06) and his tenure at Arkansas (2008-11).
Petrino’s 30-plus years in coaching also include a previous NFL stop in Jacksonville, where he coached quarterbacks for two seasons before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2001.
And if you don’t think the NFL will take a “recycled” guy, what about Seattle’s Pete Carroll? He had the head job at the New York Jets (1994) and Patriots (1997-99) before his epic run at USC (2001-09) and his return to the pros in 2010.
And if you don’t think Petrino is into sequels, and nobody will buy into the project, how in the world did he land back at Louisville last season?
Mark Whipple, UMass
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First things first, who is Mark Whipple?
Whipple is the head coach at UMass, a job he took for the second time last season, previously leading the gridiron Minutemen from 1998-2003.
He led UMass to a FCS national title in 1998 and also held the head job at his alma mater Brown (1994-97) and D-II New Haven (48-17), compiling a 124-68 record as a college head coach.
In between his two stints at UMass, Whipple was in the NFL coaching quarterbacks/offense at Pittsburgh (2004-06), Philadelphia (2007-08) and Cleveland (2011-12).
The missing years (2009-10) were spent on Randy Shannon’s staff at Miami (Florida), also in an offensive capacity.
All this adds up to Whipple being one of the best, under-the-radar candidates for an NFL team looking to go a different direction.
James Franklin, Penn State
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Before James Franklin left Vanderbilt to take the Penn State job, he served as the OC at Maryland (2008-10) and Kansas State (2006-07).
Prior to that, he spent the 2005 season coaching wide receivers at Green Bay.
Though hardly an NFL resume worth salivating over, combined with his winning record at SEC outpost Vanderbilt (24-15 from 2011-13) and his intense demeanor, Franklin may become an ideal NFL suitor.
Think of him as Greg Schiano, only with a better resume as a college head coach.
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Curtis Johnson, Tulane
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Before Tulane lured Curtis Johnson across town to take its head job, he was enjoying a successful stint as a wide receivers coach for the Saints.
Johnson served under Sean Payton in his first six seasons in New Orleans, including being on the staff for the 2009 Super Bowl team.
Prior to that, Johnson coached wide receivers at Miami, Florida (1996-2005), Cal (1995), SMU (1994), San Diego State (1989-93) and his alma mater Idaho (1987-88).
What hurts Johnson is his 12-25 record in three seasons at Tulane. This includes a 7-6 mark in 2013, the Green Wave’s best finish since going 8-5 in 2002.
That said, you’ve got to figure that prospective employers will view Johnson’s record in light of his job. In other words, he’s not 12-25 at Florida or even Texas Tech. He’s 12-25 at Tulane.
Troy Calhoun, Air Force
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Troy Calhoun has been at Air Force for so long (eight years), it’s easy to forget he had a diverse career prior to his debut as a head coach.
After playing quarterback for the Falcons from 1985-88, Calhoun began his coaching career at his alma mater before serving at Ohio and then Wake Forest as an offensive assistant/OC.
Before returning to Air Force in 2007, Calhoun had two stops in the NFL: an assistant role in Denver (2003-05) and an offensive gig at Houston (2006).
What may hurt Calhoun, who is 59-44 as a head coach, is his 8-17 mark from 2012-13, not necessarily the stuff that’s got “pro” written all over it.
But, the Falcons bounced back to a 10-3 finish in 2014, and Calhoun is a guy who’s been successful at leading a service academy to bowl eligibility in seven of the last eight seasons. That’s no small accomplishment in major college ball.
David Shaw, Stanford
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Stanford’s David Shaw could be the strongest candidate in the bunch. Not only is Shaw the young leader of the wildly successful Cardinal football program (42-12 since he took over in 2011), the rest of his resume is spot-on for the NFL.
Shaw played wide receiver at Stanford in the early '90s and got his start in coaching as an assistant at D-II Western Washington in 1995-96.
That led directly to a string of NFL jobs: quality control at Philadelphia (1997), offensive assistant at Oakland (1998-2001) and offensive assistant at Baltimore (2002-05).
From there, Shaw spent a single season (2006) at FCS San Diego before returning to Stanford for good in 2007.
Shaw ticks every single box.
Todd Monken, Southern Miss
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Todd Monken got the nod at Southern Miss after spending two successful years as the OC at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy (2011-12).
Before that, Monken spent four seasons (2007-10) coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers at Jacksonville under head coach Jack Del Rio. Though this isn’t the kind of thing that NFL careers are built on, it’s enough to make a case that he understands the game at both levels.
That is, if he can continue to make progress at Southern Miss after posting 1-11 and 3-9 finishes in his first two seasons.
Before his foray into the NFL, Monken held offensive coaching roles at LSU (2005-06), Oklahoma State (2002-04), Louisiana Tech (2000-01) and Eastern Michigan (1993-99).
Monken is a lot like David Shaw, only Shaw landed at Stanford, where it’s easier to win and be noticed than at Southern Miss.
Jim Mora, UCLA
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While most of the guys on this list are college coaches that may wind up in the NFL, Jim Mora is an NFL guy that wound up in college football.
Prior to taking over at UCLA in 2012, Mora had just one year invested as a coach at the collegiate level, as a graduate assistant at Washington in 1984.
After that, it’s all NFL: defensive assistant at San Diego (1985-91), defensive backs at New Orleans (1992-96), defensive backs/DC at San Francisco (1997-2003), head coach at Atlanta (2004-06), defensive assistant at Seattle (2007-08) and head coach at Seattle (2009).
What sets him apart is his defensive background, a trait he shares with Seattle’s Pete Carroll, who also had two pro head coaching jobs before landing his big break in college. This, of course, led to part three of his NFL story, the one with a Super Bowl win.
Sean Kugler, UTEP
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Like Mark Whipple, the first thing you think of when you think Sean Kugler might be, “who is Sean Kugler?”
Kugler has been the head guy at UTEP, his alma mater, since 2013. He’s 9-16 thus far, but his 7-6 finish in 2014 marked the first winning season in El Paso since 2005.
Prior to returning to UTEP, where he served as an offensive assistant from 1993-2000, Kugler spent 11 seasons as an assistant in the NFL.
He coached tight ends/offensive line in Detroit from 2001-05, coached the O-line at Buffalo from 2007-09 and then served in the same capacity at Pittsburgh from 2010-12.
Kugler spent one season, 2006, as an assistant head coach/offensive line coach at Boise State. That’s the same season the Broncos went 13-0 and beat No. 7 Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Like Shaw and Whipple, Kugler has all the right stuff for a return to the NFL, this time as a head coach.
Les Miles, LSU
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Most people remember that LSU’s Les Miles is a “Michigan man,” playing offensive line for the Wolverines in the mid-'70s.
And most people also recall that before landing the coveted LSU job in 2005, Miles led Oklahoma State to a 28-21 mark from 2001-03.
What did he do before that?
How about coach tight ends for the Dallas Cowboys from 1998-2000, in the Chan Gailey/Dave Campo era?
This brief stint, combined with Miles’ 103-29 run at LSU, makes him ripe for the picking by an NFL club. That is, if he chooses to go.
Miles, like Carroll and Mora, is a defensive guy. He’s never had a sexy, high-powered offense in his head coaching career.
Statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com/cfb.
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