Fansided

Top-10 coaches most likely to make the jump to the NFL

By Robert Judin

Oct 3, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin reacts from the sidelines against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin reacts from the sidelines against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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October 3, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw argues with an official against the Arizona Wildcats during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Stanford defeated Arizona 55-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 3, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw argues with an official against the Arizona Wildcats during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Stanford defeated Arizona 55-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

8. David Shaw – Stanford Cardinal

Since he took over for Jim Harbaugh in 2011, David Shaw has not only kept the Stanford Cardinal above water, but he’s had it competing with other top programs in college football.

Shaw has compiled a stellar record since then and has won two of the four bowl games he’s coached in.

The thing about Shaw is he has roots in the NFL already. He spent time as a quality control assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders in the late-90s before being hired to coach the Raiders’ quarterbacks in 2001. From 2002 to 2005, Shaw split time coaching the quarterbacks and wide receivers for the Baltimore Ravens.

He then left for a job as the University of San Diego’s passing game coordinator on Harbaugh’s staff. When Harbaugh got the job at Stanford the following year, he took Shaw with him.

It may be a little bit more difficult for Shaw to leave because Stanford is his alma mater, but with the immediate success he’s had at Stanford, it’s hard to imagine him not cashing in on an NFL job — should he be offered one.

With the Indianapolis Colts underperforming worse than anyone thought possible, Chuck Pagano is on the hot seat. It’s not absurd to think he might be let go at the end of this season — rather not brought back, as his contract is ending this season.

The Colts could be interested in reuniting Shaw with Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener, both of whom he coached at Stanford. It would make the transition much easier knowing Shaw already had trust built with them, and it could provide a spark to a locker room that has gone belly-up ever since Bruce Arians left to coach the Arizona Cardinals.

Next: Mark Helfrich

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