College football versus basketball coaching

[.Gerdis]

There is one name being debated and the main objection is that he has never been a head coach for a college basketball team.

What about in football?

In other words, are there examples of NFL coaches making the jump with no college head coaching experience? For example, would anyone blink an eye if a college team hired a current offensive coordinator with some NFL head coaching experience, even if he had never led a college program?

I’m not sure if it is even a relevant question (as the sports are very different), but it did pop into my mind.

 

[Paterfamilias]

For whatever reason, the former NBA player turned college coach has mostly failed on a hilarious level. I think it's because the 10-15 years spent playing puts them 10-15 years behind in coaching growth.

The average age of a Power 5 coaching hire is 46. So in theory the former player would need to be a little on the old-ish side like Woody to have gained the proper seasoning as a coach. Mostly they don't do that though. Historically speaking the former player just tries to hop right into the coaching gig like it's no biggie.

Juwan Howard may turn out to be the exception, but at least he did have 5 or 6 years as an assistant and brought on Martelli.

I can't really remember too many, if any, former NFL players jumping right into coaching the alma mater... Cliff Kingsbury maybe?? I would have to look it up, but off of memory Kingsbury would be the only possible example and I'm not sure if Cliff even played pro ball.

 

[.Gerdis]

For whatever reason, the former NBA player turned college coach has mostly failed on a hilarious level. I think it's because the 10-15 years spent playing puts them 10-15 years behind in coaching growth.

The average age of a Power 5 coaching hire is 46. So in theory the former player would need to be a little on the old-ish side like Woody to have gained the proper seasoning as a coach. Mostly they don't do that though. Historically speaking the former player just tries to hop right into the coaching gig like it's no biggie.

Juwan Howard may turn out to be the exception, but at least he did have 5 or 6 years as an assistant and brought on Martelli.

I can't really remember too many, if any, former NFL players jumping right into coaching the alma mater... Cliff Kingsbury maybe?? I' would have to look it up, but off of memory Kingsbury would be the only possible example and I'm not sure if Cliff even played pro ball.

I was thinking Charlie Weis?

Looks like he’s never been a college head coach, but was involved in some aspect of college recruiting as a graduate assistant?

Obviously he wasn’t a successful hire fir the Irish. But he seems to be an example of a long time NFL assistant making the jump to his first college head coach job, at a premiere program.

Charlie Weis - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Paterfamilias]

I was thinking Charlie Weis?

Looks like he’s never been a college head coach, but was involved in some aspect of college recruiting as a graduate assistant?

Obviously he wasn’t a successful hire fir the Irish. But he seems to be an example of a long time NFL assistant making the jump to his first college head coach job, at a premiere program.

Charlie Weis - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I see now. You were looking at it from a different angle than I assumed.