5 Collegiate Coaches Ready to Take over NFL Teams

With media days upon us, the thought of which collegiate head coaches will be presented with an opportunity to eventually lead NFL teams automatically comes to mind. 

The line between the two levels of play continues to blur with professionals now stealing ideas and concepts from the amateur ranks instead of the opposite occurring. 

Today's college coaches are highly influential and quite powerful, but they also have a lot to overcome when the NFL comes calling. 

Chip Kelly's firing certainly didn't help future candidates. In fact, all seven new head coaches—including Kelly—either served as a coordinator or head coach with NFL teams last season. League owners paid little attention to qualified options outside of the NFL's influence.

At the time, Kelly's hire by the Philadelphia Eagles was considered a revolutionary step. After all, he displayed a brilliant offensive mind with the Oregon Ducks. Instead, his scheme became less effective with each passing season. Now, he's no longer employed by the Eagles and is onto his second NFL organization. 

Any owner who wants to consider a college coach can easily point to Kelly as a cautionary tale. It'll take a special person to overcome such a negative perception. 

Make no mistake: It's a difficult transition—few college coaches have experienced similar success at the next level—but certain coaches have displayed the necessary experience running an entire program and temperament to attempt the leap. 

Five immediately came to mind as legitimate possibilities. 

This season will serve as an opportunity to watch how these coaches operate just in case an NFL organization is willing to take a chance and dip into the collegiate ranks to secure its next team leader.

Usual Suspects

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Jim Harbaugh

Of course, any conversation about collegiate coaches making the leap to the NFL starts with two names: Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban. 

While the possibility always exists one or both will eventually return to the professional game, it's hard to find a perfect time for it to actually happen. 

Harbaugh is now in his second year with the Michigan Wolverines, and he continues to make waves throughout college football. As a "Michigan man," it's difficult to envision him leaving after only two years. 

The former quarterback doesn't stay anywhere for too long, but Harbaugh is home, and he's yet to burn any bridges with his current team or management. 

Saban is larger than life in Alabama as arguably the best coach in Crimson Tide history—even as he operates in the shadow of the great Paul "Bear" Bryant. But he'll turn 65 years old this fall. The Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll is the only older NFL head coach—and by just a month-and-a-half. 

Organizations tend to look at younger rising coaches instead of failed retreads. Saban just won his fifth national championship, but he can't compete with Father Time. 

Meanwhile, David Shaw's (Stanford) and Pat Fitzgerald's (Northwestern) names inevitably come up as well. Neither is likely to leave his alma mater unless a perfect situation presents itself. 

Les Miles always seems to be threatening to leave the LSU Tigers until he receives another contract extension. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops allowed their opportunities to pass them. And Urban Meyer seems content being the most powerful man in Ohio by coaching the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

All of these men are talented coaches, but their destinies appear tied to the college game. 

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Aggies

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Sooner or later, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin will find his way to the NFL. 

So far, he's said all of the right things publicly about wanting to build Texas A&M's program back to prominence. The Aggies might not be a perennial contender, but they're certainly relevant again. 

However, NFL Network's Michael Silver reported in January that Sumlin tried hard to get an NFL job. 

A 16-10 record over the last two years isn't good enough, though. This is where detractors can argue he's not an NFL-caliber coach. He doesn't have any previous experience at the highest level. However, the 51-year-old Sumlin brings an explosive offense and an instantly likable personality as both a leader and a person. 

Within the past year, the Aggies experienced a rash of transfers, particularly at the quarterback position. As such, the coach has an uphill battle in front of him.

"I think what's important, timing is everything," Sumlin said at SEC media days, per Sporting News' Bill Bender. "As badly as the timing was the guys who left I would say this, you don't get a new quarterback and offensive coordinator in seven or eight days if you don't have a plan."

Transfer Trevor Knight will start at quarterback, while Noel Mazzone will take over play-calling duties as the team's new offensive coordinator. 

If Sumlin proves he can handle the departures and still win games, he'll be one of the first names mentioned during the next hiring cycle. 

Jim Mora, UCLA Bruins

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The third time could be the charm for Jim L. Mora. Like Sumlin, Silver reported Mora wanted back in the NFL this offseason. 

Unlike Sumlin, the UCLA Bruins head coach will continue to build his reputation on the success of his quarterback. Josh Rosen is arguably the nation's top returning quarterback. The sophomore quarterback has the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 or '19 NFL draft—depending on when he declares. 

This is important, because it means Mora will have had a hand in developing two different, yet legitimate, quarterback prospects in Rosen and Brett Hundley, whom the Green Bay Packers drafted in 2015. 

The coach did sign a contract extension with UCLA earlier this year, which will make his acquisition more difficult. His buyout after this season is $2 million, according to Bruins Nation's Joe Piechowski. 

Mora's allure remains threefold.

Not only will he have an understanding of the league's incoming talent after recruiting and/or coaching multiple top names, but he also has plenty of NFL experience. The Los Angeles native spent four combined years as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks with a 31-33 overall record. For comparison, Pete Carroll posted a 33-31 record after his first two professional gigs. 

Plus, Mora showed the flexibility to change his schemes on both sides of the ball. 

After spending 24 years with five different franchises, the end goal seems to be the same now as it was before: Mora wants one more chance as an NFL coach. 

Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

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Becoming the next Alabama Crimson Tide head coach after Saban retires seems to be a more likely destination for Dabo Swinney than the NFL. After all, Swinney played and coached in Tuscaloosa from 1990 to 2000. 

But the 46-year-old coach knows a good opportunity when presented with one. After 10 years at Alabama, the collegiate wide receiver worked for AIG Baker Real Estate until then-Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden offered him a position on his staff. The rest is history. 

Swinney should appeal to NFL owners looking for an energetic coach who continues to develop legitimate talent. 

Over the past five years, Clemson produced 33 draft picks, including five first-round selections. The Tigers are loaded again this year, too, after finishing as runners-up in this year's national championship.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is a favorite among draft circles to go No. 1 overall. Tight end Jordan Leggett, running back Wayne Gallman, wide receiver Artavis Scott and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley are highly regarded as well. 

Swinney continues to recruit well and develop NFL talent. The reason behind his success can be found in his message—a message already to be found at the next level. 

Clemson is always "All-In" with its head coach, but so are the Buffalo Bills. Rex Ryan admitted he stole the slogan, because "it resonates well with [the] football team," per the Buffalo News' Vic Carucci. 

This might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but an ability to relate and reach athletes is absolutely necessary for any successful coach at any level. 

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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As the old adage states, "The NFL stands for Not For Long." Professional sports are pressure-packed, and they require a certain personality to excel under the burden of unrealistic expectations. 

At Notre Dame, unrealistic expectations are commonplace. Brian Kelly claims an explosive personality—he turns more shades of red during a game than a 64-pack of Crayola crayons—but he also competently dealt with the pressure placed on him by college football's most out-of-touch fanbase. 

The Fighting Irish's golden days are long gone. It's been 28 years since the program claimed a legitimate national championship. Kelly hasn't reached the pinnacle, either, but he brought the team close and made the program nationally relevant again. 

After taking two years to build, Notre Dame is 39-13 over the past four seasons—which includes a BCS National Championship Game appearance in 2013.

Kelly's success extends beyond his time in South Bend.

The Massachusetts native started his head coaching career with the Grand Valley State Lakers, where he won a pair of Division II national championships. Within three years, Kelly molded the Central Michigan Chippewas into a relevant MAC program before taking over the Cincinnati Bearcats. Kelly then led the Bearcats to a pair of New Year's Day bowl games in his third and fourth seasons. 

This 54-year-old coach knows how to quickly build a program and maintain its success. With the turnover the NFL experiences among its coaches every year, these traits may be more valuable than any others. 

Tom Herman, Houston Cougars

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If an NFL team is willing to think outside of the box and pursue a potential dark-horse candidate, the Houston Cougars' Tom Herman deserves recognition as a top option. 

Herman is college football's fastest-rising star. At 41 years old, his last two seasons as the Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator and Houston's head coach resulted in a national championship and Peach Bowl victory, respectively. Both feats are equally impressive for completely different reasons.

Ohio State should compete for a national championship every year, but Herman took his third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, and still put together tremendous game plans for the Buckeyes—who ran roughshod over the Wisconsin Badgers for the Big Ten Conference championship, the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the inaugural College Football Playoff and the Marcus Mariota-led Oregon Ducks in the CFP National Championship Game. 

Herman then took over the Cougars program and didn't disappoint. In his first season at the non-Power Five school, Houston finished 13-1 and ranked eighth overall after defeating the Florida State Seminoles on New Year's Eve. 

To put it simply, Houston's coach knows offensive football and how to scheme around available talent. His teams will put points on the board even when operating under a talent deficiency. Last season, the Cougars faced six opponents that were either nationally ranked or played in a Power Five conference. Houston averaged 36.2 points and 427.8 yards per game in those contests. 

A forward-thinking NFL owner who is not afraid of making a bold decision should hire Herman, and the choice could pay dividends for years to come.

Potential Suitors

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Rex Ryan

Turnover in the coaching profession is a fact of life. In each of the last three offseasons, seven NFL head coaches were replaced.

As such, it's safe to assume seven more organizations will be looking for potential coaches next offseason and possibly be interested in the top collegiate candidates. 

Which teams enter this season with coaches on the hot seat? 

Even after only one year with their current teams, the Atlanta Falcons' Dan Quinn and Buffalo Bills' Rex Ryan shouldn't get too comfortable. 

Quinn's first season started out great when the Falcons won five consecutive games. But the team took a nosedive after that point and finished 8-8 overall. With the $1.4 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium ready to be opened next season, owner Arthur Blank may look to make a huge splash with a big-name coaching hire if the Falcons disappoint during Quinn's second season. 

For Ryan, it's all about one goal: making the playoffs, which the Bills haven't done since the 1999 season. 

"If we don't, I think Rex will probably be looking for another job," Bills great and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly said on The Jim Rome Show (via NJ Advance Media's Darryl Slater). "I think everybody knows that, including Rex."

The playoff bar also exists in other cities. 

After three seasons of sub-.500 play, the Jacksonville Jaguars spent a ton in free agency and put together one of this year's most impressive draft classes. There aren't any more excuses for Gus Bradley. The Jaguars need to compete for an AFC South crown, or the head coach could be on the chopping block. 

The San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams are two teams that decided to maintain continuity this offseason instead of making sweeping changes. A year from now, those two franchises may feel differently. 

The Chargers' future in San Diego is up in the air, and head coach Mike McCoy needs another winning season after the team finished 4-12 last year. 

Jeff Fisher doesn't seem to have an expiration date with the Rams despite a 27-36-1 record in four seasons. Eventually, his time will run out if a winning campaign isn't forthcoming. 

Finally, the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans experienced plenty of turnover this past year, but this factor doesn't actually provide much leeway for Jim Caldwell (Lions) or the recently hired Mike Mularkey (Titans). Eventually ownership changes and new general managers will want their guy in place, and it could happen sooner rather than later. 

Each of these destinations has the potential for quick turnarounds with the right coach. But the owners who will be seeking a new head coach shouldn't limit their searches to the NFL ranks. The right coach with a fresh approach and cutting-edge schemes can be found in the collegiate ranks.