- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Has a coach from the NFL ranks ever been successful at a big time power 5 school?
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:39 pm
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:39 pm
Pete Carroll is the only example I can think of.
20
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:42 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I can’t think of guys going backwards but Switzer and Jimmy Johnson had success at both levels.
This post was edited on 9/1/25 at 9:43 pm
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:43 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Harbaugh obviously
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:43 pm to moneyg
Harbaugh was college first though
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:50 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Does Kiffin count?
This post was edited on 9/1/25 at 9:54 pm
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:53 pm to tigerfan84
quote:
Does Kiffin count?
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:54 pm to MikeyFL
I would consider Ole Miss to be a better program than UNC.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:00 pm to tigerfan84
I would count Kiffin because he was a HC in the pros first.
Bill O’ Brien did ok at Penn St.
But, it usually doesn’t go well. Belichek wouldn’t be the first NFL legend to flame out in college. I remember Bill Walsh at Stanford.
Bill O’ Brien did ok at Penn St.
But, it usually doesn’t go well. Belichek wouldn’t be the first NFL legend to flame out in college. I remember Bill Walsh at Stanford.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:03 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
June Jones at Hawaii.
Lou was in the pros for a few years.
Harbaugh
Lou was in the pros for a few years.
Harbaugh
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:04 pm to wareaglepete
It's the NFL coach piece that leads to me think of Kiffin as a sample size of 1...
I still remember All Davis bringing out the overhead projector to detail Kiffin's multiple lies and justify firing him with cause.
I still remember All Davis bringing out the overhead projector to detail Kiffin's multiple lies and justify firing him with cause.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:13 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Well, there was this guy.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:13 pm to MikeyFL
Kiffin also was coaching at USC before getting the Raiders job. It’s insane to think an offensive coordinator in college getting a head coach job in the NFL today.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:16 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:19 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Saban coached the dolphins for a minute..
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:21 pm to rebel of fortune
quote:
Kiffin also was coaching at USC before getting the Raiders job. It’s insane to think an offensive coordinator in college getting a head coach job in the NFL today.
I was thinking about that too. Nepotism and his USC connections basically got him the raiders job.
From there, he was chased out of Knoxville with pitchforks, fired at the tarmac by USC, entered the Saban rehab program for wayward coaches, looked like he was in witness protection at FAU, and then finally became reasonably successful at Ole Miss.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:28 pm to 62zip
Arnsparger was not a good NFL head coach, but he was certainly good at LSU. Wish he had stayed a bit longer.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 11:23 pm to wareaglepete
quote:
I remember Bill Walsh at Stanford.
1977-1978
or
1992-1994?
Posted on 9/1/25 at 11:30 pm to tigerfan84
92-94
He did well in the earlier stint, but he had only been an assistant in the NFL before that.
He did well in the earlier stint, but he had only been an assistant in the NFL before that.
This post was edited on 9/1/25 at 11:35 pm
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:30 am to VolsOut4Harambe
Lou Holtz
Posted on 9/2/25 at 8:34 am to VolsOut4Harambe
quote:
Has a coach from the NFL ranks ever been successful at a big time power 5 school?
Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, and Pete Carroll are the three who have won championships at both levels. But they all went from college to pro instead of the other way around.
Of the three, Carroll deserves the most credit. Switzer inherited awesome teams from his predecessors (1973 OU and 1994 Dallas). Johnson built the Cowboys from scratch but inherited a Miami program whose championship foundation was laid by Howard Schnellenberger. Neither USC nor the Seahawks were particularly good when Carroll took over.
Page 1 of 3
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News