The only "college" HCs from the past few decades with any success are Jimmy Johnson and Jim Harbaugh. Johnson was a pure College to NFL success, and really the only one. You could argue that his success was set up in large part by the infamous Herschel Walker trade, but he was a great NFL coach.
Harbaugh he had years of NFL experience as a starting/backup QB. Nick Saban did okay with Miami, but he was DC for 4 years prior to that under Belichick. Coughlin, Carroll, and Bill O'Brian had significant NFL experience before they ever became Head Coaches.
Stylistically, the NIL/Free-transfer era much closer to NFL than what existed before. The talent gaps in the Top 20% of programs is closing, and pathological liars can't lock in 4/5 stars with promises they can't deliver on any more.
His locker room speeches remind me of a few NFL coaches.
But he's never played in the league. His only path to the NFL is as an assistant coach/coordinator, and that seems incredibly unlikely considering the success he's already had as a college coach.
Replies to: "He's never schemed/played against an NFL team. It's a different game. I think his style is fine"
- How Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman went from risky hire to the cusp of a national championship [NBC] [NT]
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- ND521 - 1:18pm 1/15/25
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- The risk is losig him to the NFL [NT]
- bobdrake - 3:38pm 1/15/25
- I'd be shocked! - murph92675 - 10:25am 1/16/25
- Not trying to put frreman down but don’t you think his style is suited for college. Hr connects with - ndphysics - 6:25pm 1/15/25
- He's never schemed/played against an NFL team. It's a different game. I think his style is fine - Turkish - 10:15am 1/16/25
- No NFL coaching experience - ndunabomber - 7:11pm 1/15/25
- There was risk for Holtz leaving also and any other coach having huge success. [NT] - faircatchcorby - 5:20pm 1/15/25
- The risk is losig him to the NFL [NT]
- bobdrake - 3:38pm 1/15/25