Kevin Sumlin, Steve Sarkisian among college coaches likely to draw NFL interest

Even with former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano struggling in Tampa Bay, the NFL will continue courting college coaches for head coaching positions whenever they feel there’s a fit, writes NFL.com’s Albert Breer. Schiano is off to an 0-5 start with the Buccaneers and may not survive the season without being fired.

Among the current head coaches listed who could make the jump to the NFL one day: Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin, Washington’s Steve Sarkisian and others. From Breer:

Other college coaches, most league executives believe, would be just fine. Penn State’s Bill O’Brien should be in demand again. Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin probably will be, too. Both Shaw and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald are alums of the programs they lead and considered to be tough gets, but they still could be pursued. Washington’s Steve Sarkisian is well-regarded in pro circles and seen as a future NFL coach. One exec identified Air Force’s Troy Calhoun as a dark-horse candidate.

A couple of NFL executives were quoted in the article basically saying no two coaches were the same, and it would eventually come down to his background, current situation and how he would fit in with professionals instead of collegiate athletes. Winning in college does not equal winning in the NFL; as seen with Nick Saban, some guys are just built for the college game, while others struggle to handle to day-to-day aspects of recruiting, media relations and following all of the NCAA’s guidelines.

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