22 head coaching candidates you need to start getting familiar with
By Staff
A lot of teams at both the college and pro levels will be looking for head coaches this offseason, and these are the best bets to hire.
Each year, like the leaves change and the snow falls, heads will roll in football. For every winning success story, there’s a handful of poor souls that get sacrificed to the gods in hopes that something better will come along next.
Lincoln Riley and Sean McVay are two examples of coaching changes that seemed unconventional at the time but have become trend setting hires now considered a blueprint for success. College and NFL teams have already begun firing underperforming coaches and will be looking for new blood to usher in a new era.
The following names are exactly that. If you’re team is looking for a new head coach, he’s probably on this list.
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma head coach
- Strengths: Offensive innovator
- Weaknesses: Limited experience
- Best Fits: Oklahoma or NFL
Riley, 35, is quickly making a name for himself as one of the top offensive minds in college football. In just his third season as Oklahoma’s head coach, Riley already has a College Football Playoff appearance and a Heisman-winning quarterback (Baker Mayfield) on his resume.
His innovation in the passing game and the ability to maintain a balanced attack with an equally effective rushing attack, Oklahoma leads the nation in yards per rush, any team needing an offensive overhaul should be interested in Riley.
Riley could make a successful transition to the NFL, and that’s likely the only place he’d consider leaving Oklahoma for. Oklahoma will pay just as well as any NFL team and he’d have complete control of the program and conference and stay there for 10-15 years, if not longer.
The NFL won’t offer that same job security or power. Some teams may prefer to hire a coach with a longer head coaching record, but finding a coach with Riley’s offensive acumen is too tempting.