One college team might be looking to poach the NFL ranks for a coach, but it appears that the pros could be looking to do the reverse, as well. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, two successful programs could be targeted.
NFL teams targeting Jim Mora and Gus Malzahn, per report
Don’t expect the Auburn head coach to make a move, but one team with a reported eye on him is interesting.
Of the two, UCLA’s Jim Mora has the closest NFL ties. The former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, he was in the NFL from 1985 until he was fired by the Seahawks in 2010. While UCLA was somewhat disappointing this year, Mora is responsible for bringing the program back to national prominence in just three years. Mora was less successful in the NFL than he has been in college, finishing 32-34 overall with a 1-1 record in the playoffs.
Auburn’s Gus Malzahn has no NFL ties and was a high school coach until becoming an assistant at Arkansas in 2006. He first became a head coach at Arkansas State in 2012, and then took Auburn to the national title game and won an SEC championship in his first year at Auburn in 2013. Overall, he’s 29-9 as a college coach and 20-6 at Auburn. Last year, he was mentioned as a candidate for the Cleveland Browns job.
One team that could potentially target Malzahn is intriguing.
.@RapSheet on Gus Malzahn: "I would expect the Dolphins to have interest in him if they part ways with Joe Philbin."
— NFL Media PR (@InsideNFLMedia) December 21, 2014 The Dolphins hired Alabama coach Nick Saban, the best coach in college football in the last decade, from LSU in 2005. Saban went just 15-17 in two years in Miami before bolting for Alabama. How would Dolphins fans respond to getting yet another successful college coach with few NFL ties?
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