- Copyright 2024 © CollegeFootballPoll.com
- About CFP / Contact
- Legal Statements
Sports fans outside the US struggle to understand the popularity and dynamics of the NCAA, particularly the passionate fanbase that follows college football. Many are even more surprised to learn that coaching careers aren’t strictly ranked with NFL positions on top.
In fact, iconic coaches like Bill Walsh and Joe Walton are remembered decades later for their work in the NCAA with Stanford University and Robert Morris University, respectively. In both cases, Walsh and Walton left behind careers as NFL head coaches, with the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets.
Sure, these occurrences don’t happen often. Most go in the way of the recent Urban Meyers-Jaguars move—and not all are successful. Some coaches ‘graduate’ from the SEC or Pac-12 just to fail in the big leagues. On the other hand, some coaches who struggle in the NFL will find success leading a team to conference championships and postseason Bowls.
The NCAAF may not have the recognition that the NFL does, nor the same degree of action from punters and coverage like NFL picks, but college football undoubtedly has more intrigue and potential spread across the FBS’s 130 teams. Looking back, here are the top four coaches that have pushed that potential to greatness since 1990.
Not all coaches experience success in exclusively the NFL or NCAA. In fact, some put out respectable performances in both. Such is the case with Tom Coughlin, who spent years with the New York Giants before accepting a position as head coach at Boston College in 1991.
In fact, Coughlin led the Eagles to an upset victory over Notre Dame, one of the most dynastic and lethal Blue Bloods active in the 90s. It led him straight back to the NFL, where he was appointed as the first head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ inaugural season.
Saban is remembered as one of the most talented coaches who could make his influence known wherever he wandered—and wander he did. Over the course of his NCAA career, Saban spent time with the University of Toledo Rockets, Michigan State Wolverines, and Louisiana State Tigers before being called up to coach the Miami Dolphins.
Saban’s unimpressive time in Miami led him straight back to the NCAA in 2007, where he thrived again. This time, Saban spent years with Alabama University Crimson Tide, nabbing SEC and BCS titles.
Pete Carroll is an anomaly when it comes to head coaching. His earlier records are nothing to clap for; his time in the NFL from 1985 to 1999 yielded an array of results, none of which are worth mentioning here. Carroll worked as a defensive coordinator and head coach for the Patriots, 49ers, and Jets throughout the 90s before stepping down to the NCAA to coach the USC Trojans.
What followed was a master class in how to overhaul a dying football program. Within a few years, Carroll led the Trojans to back-to-back national titles, as well as a 34 straight game-winning streak, which helped put USC back on the map. Carroll returned to the NFL in 2010, where he led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win.
When Bobby Petrino left the University of Louisville Cardinals in 2007 to take over the head coaching position for the Atlanta Falcons, many thought Petrino would be out of the NCAA for good. However, Petrino was unable to translate a 41-9 Cardinals record into a winning season with the Falcons.
After posting a 3-10 season, Petrino abruptly left the NFL and went to coach for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. After a rocky start that had many questioning Petrino’s future, the head coach eventually steered the Razorbacks back into the limelight. In 2011, the Razorbacks made a fifth-place national finish under Petrino.