NFL coaches from college football: Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer lead the league in scoring
Jim Harbaugh, who is leaving Michigan to take over as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, will have the chance to build on an NFL success record that is uncommon for former college coaches. A two-time professional, Harbaugh has the longest NFL tenure of any coach to have left college to go to the next level since 2000. He has the potential to separate himself from the group, which consists of luminaries like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, by having another successful season starting in 2024.
While they rarely yield comparable outcomes, the strategies and plans that produce college football national championships can occasionally be applied to the highest level of the sport. Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, and Pete Carroll are the three coaches who have each won a national championship and a Super Bowl.
This century, a total of twelve coaches made the switch from college to the NFL. Carroll did work at USC in the early 2000s, but considering his professional background in the 1980s and 1990s, he does not belong on this list.
For just $1 for the first month, get football and recruiting rumors about your favorite collegiate team.
Since the year 2000, the following NFL records have been held by college football coaches who transitioned to the professional ranks:
College football groups: Florida, Utah, Ohio State, and Bowling Green
NFL teams: Jacksonville
In his one and only NFL season (2021), Urban Meyer experienced a great deal of drama. Under his leadership, Jacksonville finished just 2-11, the worst record by a former college coach this century, and was plagued by multiple distractions. Meyer’s career was filled with success, but those off-field stories haunted him and the Jaguars, leading to a nightmare on the field. Meyer was a three-time college football national champion. Meyer works as an analyst these days.
Missouri State, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisville are the college football teams.
NFL teams: Atlanta
Bobby Petrino has finally reached his goal of returning to Arkansas. He accepted the position of offensive coordinator with the Razorbacks this offseason, more than ten years after leaving Fayetteville as head coach. Petrino played one season with the Atlanta Falcons before joining Arkansas, but his offensive prowess did not translate to the NFL, and he finished just 3-10 before resigning in the middle of the season. But he was dealt a rough hand when, in the wake of quarterback Michael Vick’s arrest, he had to start his one and only professional season with backup quarterbacks.
Teams that play college football: Nebraska, Baylor, Temple
NFL teams: Carolina
After two consecutive five-win seasons, there was optimism that Matt Rhule could reverse his NFL fortunes; however, Carolina severed their relationship with him following a 1-4 start to the 2022 season. After quick and spectacular turnarounds at Temple and Baylor, he left the Panthers with four years left on a long-term contract and went back to college football, where he established a reputation as a successful program builder. In his first year in charge, he led the Huskers to a 5-7 record, which is good for his best Year 1 record among his three college stops. He now aims to turn Nebraska back into a winning program.
Two teams of college football: Rutgers
NFL teams: Tampa Bay
Greg Schiano left the Scarlet Knights after 11 years, using his success at Rutgers to gain an NFL opportunity, through the 2011 season. After just two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—a 7-9 first-year record and a 4-12 record the following year—he sent the team into decline. Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik were let go by the struggling Bucs, and the former went back to leading the Rutgers program after serving as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator for three years. He inspired another rebuilding project in the years that followed, and he was given a long contract extension that kept him playing through the 2030 season.
Duke, Florida, and South Carolina are the college football teams.
NFL teams: Washington
Steve Spurrier is a legend in college football, amassing a 228-89-2 record over the course of a career that began in 1987. In addition to his remarkable 122-27-1 record at Florida, where he won the 1996 national championship, he also had an 89-49 record at South Carolina. Spurrier’s brief tenure with Washington included two straight losing seasons, so his NFL career was anything but successful. In 2019, the former Heisman Trophy winner briefly announced his retirement to become the Orlando Apollos’ coach in the AAF.
Syracuse University’s football teams
NFL teams: Buffalo and Jacksonville
Joining Nick Saban’s illustrious coaching tree during the 2021 season helped Doug Marrone, an offensive line coach for Alabama, restore his reputation. Rebuild it succeeded, as Marrone was able to rejoin the NFL in 2022, this time in New Orleans as an offensive line coach. Marrone spent seven seasons as a professional head coach, going 23-43 across five seasons with the Jaguars and 15-17 in two years with the Bills. After finishing at Syracuse with a.500 record and a perfect 2-0 record in bowl games, he gained entry into the NFL head coaching ranks.
