NCAA Football

5 College Head Coaches Who Should Be NFL Candidates

5 College Coaches Who Are Ideal NFL Candidates

Nick Saban
Kevin C. Cox-Getty Images

College coaches often expect to have a lot of success in the NFL, but more often than not the results don't carry over (see Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban). The success of the Philadelphia Eagles in Chip Kelly's first season as head coach in 2013 is an outlier overall, but it also assures that NFL teams with job openings will continue to look at college coaches.

Here are five college head coaches who look like ideal NFL candidates.

5. Jim Mora, UCLA

Jim Mora UCLA
Stephen Dunn-Getty Images

5. Jim Mora, UCLA

Jim Mora UCLA
Stephen Dunn-Getty Images

Mora has made a fantastic transition to the college game, with a 19-8 record in two seasons at UCLA. He turned down reported offers from other college jobs (Washington and Texas) after last year's 10-3 campaign, but if a third chance to be a head coach in the NFL came around Mora may have to listen.

4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Bob Stoops Oklahoma
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Bob Stoops Oklahoma
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Stoops has 160 wins in 15 seasons at Oklahoma, including a national title. The school's Board of Regents approved a bump in his salary for the coming season, and similar pay increases may come in the future, but Stoops is likely to have a hard time turning down an NFL job if the right situation surfaces.

3. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

Kevin Sumlin Texas A&M
Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

3. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

Kevin Sumlin Texas A&M
Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Sumlin arrived in College Station before the 2012 season, and Johnny Manziel helped lead the Aggies to a 20-6 record and two bowl wins in his first two seasons as head coach. He was mentioned as a candidate for potential NFL job openings before agreeing to a six-year contract extension in December. Another solid season in 2014, this time without Manziel, would definitely re-ignite speculation about Sumlin's future.

2. James Franklin, Penn State

James Franklin Penn State
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

2. James Franklin, Penn State

James Franklin Penn State
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Franklin is taking over at Penn State this year after a successful three-year run at Vanderbilt. The challenges of the situation at the school, including scholarship restrictions, helped Bill O'Brien decide to move on after just two seasons as head coach. With some success this year, Franklin may closely follow his predecessor to the NFL.

1. David Shaw, Stanford

David Shaw Stanford
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1. David Shaw, Stanford

David Shaw Stanford
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Shaw has experience as an NFL assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles (1997), Oakland Raiders (1998-2001) and Baltimore Ravens (2002-2005) before eventually going back to his alma mater and then replacing Jim Harbaugh as head coach. A fourth straight season with more than 10 wins would definitely capture the attention of NFL teams.

Share Tweet