College coaches on the NFL radar

With the ridiculous amount of success that Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles are having running this speed spread offense, you can be assured that there are owners all over the NFL currently calling their general managers and asking them what there current intelligence is on college coaches that are running this type of spread offense.

I know, I know, its only been one half of football, but if the NFL has taught us one thing it’s that this is a league of followers and bandwagons. One needs only to look at the Wildcat that the Miami Dolphins ran in 2008 all the way to the AFC East title. Countless teams immediately tried to adopt that same gimmick formula and sadder still the New York Jets still ran it numerous times yesterday. Or take a look at the read option. It feels like every offensive coordinator is trying to figure out if their QB can withstand the physical demands of running at least a few read option plays in an afternoon.

So the question remains; What current college coaches might general managers be calling to find out if they have any NFL aspirations.

Number 1 on the list would have to be Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin. What he has been able to do with Johnny Football down in College Station has been pretty impressive. He has also coached the University of Houston who became synonomous with challenging for offensive records during his tenure. Sumlin was a hot name before the season, and with Kelly’s success, it will only get hotter.

The second person who might want to stay near their phone is Chris Peterson of Boise State. Boise State has gotten a reputation for being a BCS buster and they have done that in large portion with their offense. They might not attract the highest level recruits but if anyone knows how to get the most out of an existing roster it will be Peterson. I have heard rumors of Peterson being targeted by larger programs for years and nothing has enticed him enough to leave the blue turf but if an NFL team comes calling (Oakland Raiders anyone?) then it might be impossible for him to say no.

The last person I am going to discuss is definitely outside of the box. That would be Mike Leach of the Washington State Cougars. Coming off of a win against perennial powerhouse USC, Leach has long cemented a reputation for being an offensive guru. Now Leach has certainly had his problems