NFL Coaches Who Should Come Back to College
Chip Kelly's not on the list.
Before we start, let's get that out of the way. No matter how one feels about the former Oregon and current Philadelphia Eagles head coach, he's not going anywhere—and he shouldn't. He's won 10 games in each of his first two seasons.
There are, however, a handful of NFL coaches whose best choice would be dropping back to college. They proved they could succeed at the FBS level, but they haven't attained as much success in the pros.
That doesn't mean they can't succeed in the pros at some point. All it means is that, currently, their best opportunities lie in college.
Certain coaches just belong there.
Bob Bostad
1 of 6
Current NFL Job: Offensive Line Coach, Tennessee Titans (2014-Present)
Last College Job: Offensive Line Coach, Wisconsin (2006-2011)
Bob Bostad coached some of the best offensive lines in Wisconsin history, working under former head coach Bret Bielema and current head coach/former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst in the late 2000s.
He left along with Chryst in 2012, presumably to become the offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, but instead jumped to the NFL, where he spent two years (2012 and 2013) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and last year with the Tennessee Titans.
Wisconsin reportedly recruited Bostad this offseason, when head coach Gary Andersen left for Oregon State and Chryst returned to replace him. But Bostad chose to stay in Tennessee, despite finding more success in college than in the pros thus far.
"We all hoped that was going to be part of the puzzle," a source close to the UW program told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But things don't always work out."
David Lee
2 of 6
Current NFL Job: Quarterbacks Coach, Buffalo Bills (2015-Present)
Last College Job: Offensive Coordinator, Ole Miss (2011)
In a perfect world, we'd get Houston Nutt back on the sideline.
If we can't, David Lee would suffice.
Lee was Nutt's offensive coordinator at Arkansas (2007) and Ole Miss (2011), the former team playing well, while the latter went 2-10. He hasn't fared much better during his most recent NFL foray, having struggled to develop Geno Smith for the New York Jets in 2013 and 2014 before following Rex Ryan to Buffalo.
Still, Lee has an innovative mind and helped bring the Wildcat offense to the NFL when he worked for the Miami Dolphins in 2008.
Those Darren McFadden Arkansas teams did it first.
John Lovett
3 of 6
Last NFL Job: Defensive Backs Coach, Philadelphia Eagles (2013-14)
Last College Job: Defensive Backs Coach, Texas Tech (2012)
The Philadelphia Eagles booted John Lovett from the coaching staff this offseason, reassigning him to the pro personnel department.
Based on Philly's secondary, that was deserved.
Despite that, Lovett could be a useful piece in the college ranks, where his primary experience lies. He coached defensive backs at Texas Tech in 2012 and was the defensive coordinator at Miami in 2009 and 2010. All three of those defenses finished in the top 40 in yards allowed per game, and so did the stingy Clemson defense he coordinated in 2004.
More than that, Lovett spent two years under Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, whose radical offensive concepts (and copycat concepts thereof) populate much of the college landscape. Who better to stop those concepts than someone who learned them firsthand?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Doug Marrone
4 of 6
Current NFL Job: Offensive Line Coach, Jacksonville Jaguars (2015-Present)
Last College Job: Head Coach, Syracuse (2009-2012)
Doug Marrone left Buffalo on his own terms after spending the past two seasons as its head coach. Before that, he led Syracuse to a pair of eight-win seasons over a three-year stretch, something the Orange had failed to accomplish since the Donovan McNabb era.
Marrone will spend next year as the offensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars—a job for which he's massively overqualified. He was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 2008, when Drew Brees won Offensive Player of the Year.
He could easily land an FBS head coaching job.
David Walker
5 of 6
Last NFL Job: Running Backs Coach, Indianapolis Colts (2011-2014)
Last College Job: Running Backs Coach, Pittsburgh (2004-2010)
The Indianapolis Colts fired David Walker this offseason. He sealed his fate when he couldn't get the most—or even a tiny little smidgen—out of former first-round running back Trent Richardson.
Before spending four years in Indy, however, Walker made a name for himself in college. He developed Dion Lewis, LaRod Stephens-Howling and, most notably, LeSean McCoy into NFL running backs at Pittsburgh, earning a reputation as one of the Big East's top assistants.
Testudo Times floated Walker as a candidate to land at Maryland this offseason, but the Terps hired former Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Terry Richardson, Randy Edsall's running backs coach at UConn, once he became available instead.
With that being the case, Walker remains a free agent.
Ron Zook
6 of 6
Current NFL Job: Special Teams Coordinator, Green Bay Packers (2015-Present)
Last College Job: Head Coach, Illinois (2005-2011)
Recruiting still matters…right?
If yes, then Ron Zook serves a better function in college than as the special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.
Zook proved as the head coach at Illinois and Florida that he should not be asked to run a program—although he did lead Illinois to the 2008 Rose Bowl and to back-to-back bowl seasons in 2010 and 2011. He does not have the skill set of a head coach, but he's a serviceable defensive mind with unique value on the recruiting trail.
You're telling me he couldn't land a coordinator job?
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
