It’s no secret that college coaches have not always had the best track record at NFL success.
However, there are always seem to be college coaches who try their hand at coaching in the pros.
Some have tremendous success like Pete Carroll while others like Urban Meyer do not.
Here are three college coaches who could jump to the NFL in 2022:
1. Ryan Day, Ohio State coach
There’s good reason Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is listed as the favorite to be the next NFL head coach fired.
Entering Week 15, the Bears have a 4-9 record this season and a 32-29 overall record during Nagy’s tenure.
It would be a shock if Nagy retains his job with the Bears beyond the current season.
There are rumors swirling that the Bears could poach Day from Ohio State, especially considering he coached Justin Fields in college.
The Bears took Fields with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Day has publicly denied his interest in leaving Ohio State to coach in NFL, but what do you expect him to say?
“There’s nothing to that,” Day told media members. “There’s no truth to it. I love Ohio State, and I love being the coach at Ohio State.”
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that Day’s agent, Trace Armstrong, was in conversations with the Bears about a front-office role for himself.
Nothing in La Canfora’s report directly linked Day to the Bears’ job, but if Armstrong took over in a front office role, he could oversee football operations.
Potentially, it could include Armstrong’s oversight of the general manager and head coaching position.
Day is due to make $6.61 million in the 2021 season from Ohio State, so an NFL team would likely need to offer a more lucrative salary if they want him to leave Columbus, Ohio.
Here's how Ryan Day addressed any rumors attaching his name to NFL head coaching jobs today.
"There's nothing to that, there's no truth to it. And the second thing is I love Ohio State, and I love being the head coach at Ohio State." pic.twitter.com/S4fFFTFPCj
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan coach
Harbaugh, 57, used to be among college football’s highest-paid coaches.
However, mixed success at the University of Michigan until this season led him to sign a less lucrative contract extension through the 2025 season.
Before signing the contract extension in January, Harbaugh had one year left on his initial contract at Michigan, which paid the coach slightly more than $8 million in 2020.
Harbaugh is due to make a base salary of $4 million in 2021.
It means an NFL team could attempt to lure Harbaugh by offering him more money.
Harbaugh has previous NFL playing and head coaching experience, leading the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014.
As a coach, Harbaugh led the 49ers to an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.
The 49ers made the playoffs in Harbaugh’s first three seasons coaching the team.
However, the 49ers missed the postseason in the 2014 season, which was Harbaugh’s last year coaching the team.
There were reports Harbaugh had a falling out with members of the 49ers front office.
Harbaugh also played in the NFL from 1987-2001, and served as the Oakland Raiders quarterbacks coach from 2002-2003.
Harbaugh is another coach with rumors of links to the Bears, especially considering they drafted him in 1987.
3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State coach
In May, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported Campbell turned down an eight-year, $68.5 million contract offer to coach the Detroit Lions.
Matt Campbell comes in at #9 in our ranking of the top Power 5 coaches in CFB. @dennisdoddcbs thinks he should’ve taken the 8-year $68.5m offered by the Lions@TomFornelli didn’t even have Campbell in his top 15
Ferentz is #17 btw
Full rankings here:https://t.co/1yG8irPKpd pic.twitter.com/pfkKWuUHuk
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) May 19, 2021
Considering Campbell is due $4 million from Iowa State this season, it might have seemed ludicrous to turn down an average annual salary of $8.56 million.
However, the Lions haven’t made the playoffs since the 2016 season and haven’t won a playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992.
Campbell’s Iowa State Cyclones have qualified for a bowl game in each year of his tenure:
- 2017: 8-5
- 2018: 8-5
- 2019: 7-6
- 2020: 9-3
- 2021: 7-5
On the surface, Iowa State has been a middle-tier Big 12 team, but the Cyclones had last gone to a bowl game in 2012 and last had a winning season 2009.
Campbell has helped turn the Iowa State program around.
Also, it’s worth noting Campbell does not have an agent and represents himself.
Perhaps another NFL franchise better suited for success would be more alluring to Campbell.
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