New realities of college football make it harder for NFL head coaches to make the leap

With failed former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin working his way up the college football ladder toward a minimum payday of $13 million per year, some NFL coaches may be interested in ditching the realities of life in the NFL for having an NCAA program of their own.

But there's an issue, fueled by the new NIL and transfer realities of college football. Major programs with open positions can't wait around for an NFL head coach's season to end.

Nineteen years ago this month, when Dolphins coach Nick Saban notoriously declared, "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach," Saban waited until his 6-10 regular season ended before bolting for 'Bama. One year later, Falcons coach Bobby Petrino absconded from Atlanta before the season concluded, taking the job at Arkansas.

The ability of an NFL head coach to hit the road for the NCAA depends largely on whether his contract permits it. (Saban's contract, for instance, allowed him to return to college football whenever he wanted.) But who would quit on his NFL team before the season has ended?

Sure, NFL teams fire head coaches during the season every year. The idea that a coach of a good pro team would load up the truck and move out of town is borderline inconceivable.

The problem is that the schools can't afford to wait until January. Transfer portals will open. Money will need to be raised. College programs need to fill their vacancies ASAFP.

At some point, it makes sense to wait. With Penn State whiffing on BYU coach Kalani Sitake, the Nittany Lions may want to consider an NFL coach. If the Ravens don't make it to the playoffs, John Harbaugh could be a perfect fit at Penn State — if he's ready to move on from the job he has held since 2008.

And, no, Mike Tomlin likely won't be a candidate at Penn State. He has made it clear he's not interested in college football, famously saying "never say never, but never" when asked about the USC job in 2021.

Either way, the NFL's coaching carousel is less than five weeks away from hitting high gear. At this point, Penn State may be wise to wait. Generally speaking, however, most college programs will want to fill vacancies long before a current NFL head coach could reasonably walk away.

Which will make it very difficult for NFL head coaches to jump to the increasing money and inherent power of running a college program.