3 (non-Harbaugh) college football coaches being floated for the Rams head coaching job

Hey, look what time it is. It’s “propose college coaches for open NFL jobs” season, perhaps the most wonderful time of the year. When Jeff Fisher was fired by the Los Angeles Rams, it coincided with the explosion of a rumor that Jim Harbaugh would head back to the league to coach a team in California. The rumor came from a secondhand quote and the reporter in question, Albert Breer, later clarified.

The MMQB’s Peter King also doesn’t think Harbaugh would come back to the NFL either. King said Stanford’s David Shaw wasn’t ready for the NFL either. But he did float a few names out there who might be.

Keep these names in mind for the unsung college guys who just might come out of nowhere: Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who is popular in the eyes of some in the NFL for his development of Dak Prescott and is well-liked by NFL people who pass through Starkville … Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst, who had Russell Wilson for his last college season and whom Wilson loved and credits for some of his development. Quiet guy, but a good coach … Now here’s an interesting name: Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre. He’s been a career defensive coach, but he has two things going for him: He turned around downtrodden programs at San Jose State and now Colorado; and he coached under Bill Parcells in Dallas.

Perhaps the Mullen factor is the most intriguing there. Mullen gets trotted out every college football cycle as a guy on the radar for a job outside of Starkville. But he’s still in the same place and has been with the Bulldogs since 2009. Maybe Mullen could ride Dak Prescott’s ascension all the way out of Mississippi?