There are a few college football coaches who already take part in educating the next generation as professors, but there are a few more we would love to see in the classroom.
Does Matthew McConaughey frequently appear on the Texas sideline count as a coach and a teacher?
Well, unfortunately, the answer is no. Not in this case, at least. That doesn’t mean that the honorary professor at Texas is the only “coach” in college football that would be fun to take a college course under.
Some of college football’s best coaches also take part in the teaching that goes on in their university’s classroom. Mike Leach and Herm Edwards both have classes in addition to their coaching responsibilities, and former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer also has taken up a role as an educator.
Coaches mentioned above disregarded, there are many college football coaches that I think would be great to take a class under in the non-athletic classroom. The ideal teacher-coaches differ greatly in type and, in levels of fun, but almost all have something valuable to teach.
On this list, being the “fun” teacher certainly is considered, otherwise, the list would just have become a list of the game’s best coaches. Maybe, in some ways, it still is. For the most part, though, a college football coach’s eccentricity is also brought into play, as the most enjoyable teachers are sometimes the strangest and most quirky.
Let’s take a dive, into which college football coaches would make the best teachers.
Class is in session.
Honorable mention: Lovie Smith, Illinois
Seriously, it’s as if your Southern grandfather was a former-NFL head coach and defensive guru, and decided it was his time to come into the classroom and educate the next generation.
All beard jokes and NFL references aside, Smith brings a lot of experience from his coaching career into the classroom, and without a doubt has a handful of awesome stories to share with his students.
He’s the strict-but-loving type of leader you want in a teacher, where he cares about students, but not enough to sugarcoat your explanation when you bombed that last test. His coaching tree includes the likes of Tony Dungy, Ron Rivera and Steve Wilks — and I can’t shake the thought of Smith teaching a class on U.S. History, big white beard proudly displayed.
Plus, if you finish your homework and assignments, you might just be able to convince him to bring Brian Urlacher or a host of other Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers talent to class with him for a pizza party at the end of the semester.
5. Ed Orgeron, LSU
When you see Coach O take the sideline or even the podium in front of media as the head coach, you probably don’t immediately think of him teaching the same class that I do: cooking. The fiery Tigers coach, in my imaginary classroom world, would be a cooking instructor.
Yeah, I should probably explain this one.
Orgeron hails from Larose, Louisiana, and is a true-to-birth Cajun at heart, born and raised in the Southeastern part of Louisiana, where the food is full of taste and the culture is a lifestyle. In my imaginary world, besides being a good football coach (as that win over Texas presented), Coach O is also a pro chef and teaches his students how to make a big ole pot of spiced up, ready-to-go jumbo.
If that vision doesn’t suit you, also in the running for what Coach Orgeron would teach is weight lifting at the campus recreational facility. The man, at 58 years of age, is still an absolute unit. Not to mention that his motivational speeches and pre-game pump-ups make the average person want to run through a wall.
Maybe he could be both the weight lifting instructor and teach cooking classes? What a combination that would be.
4. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
The far and away choice for a great teacher to have in terms of fun and spontaneity would be Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. One of the most fun coaches in college football, Gundy would walk into his classroom or lecture hall rocking his legendary “Arkansas Waterfall” mullet.
Gundy also is a solid coach and has a great mind to back up his fun personality. I can only imagine that eagerness to coach and win would translate well into the classroom. I see Gundy as being a fun and eccentric teacher, but getting the job done. Back in 2018, Gundy also voiced his support for a walkout of Oklahoma teachers, which means he knows what teachers go through to get the job done.
As for what subject he would teach? I see Gundy coaching a political science class, thanks to his outspoken nature and willingness to call situations as he sees them. Gundy would also be the type of teacher to encourage students to say what they believe. That “cool teacher” appeal, combined with the outspoken attitude which would make him land among the coaches that would be great to take a class with.
3. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Like him or not, Fleck would be one of the perfect coaches who could make the transition into teaching at the college level. Transitioning from coaching to teaching a class, Fleck brings with him his interesting (to say the least) motivational techniques and philosophies of the game and turns them into a class that some will hate, but most will enjoy (even if for humor’s sake).
If P.J. Fleck ever decides to try his hand at a teaching position, I could easily see him being sent to do multiple jobs at once. The ones that come to mind are being a teacher for students who may be falling behind, while also teaching some strange extracurricular like meditation at the college’s rec center.
Seriously though, imagine falling behind in a science class only to be given help by a capris-wearing man screaming “ROW THE BOAT. BE LIKE BATMAN!” at you. I think I’d be pretty willing to study, even if it were just to get out of the room.
All Pez dispensers and Dark Knight references aside, Fleck would be an interesting person to have as a teacher, and you can only assume you’d have as much fun in the classroom as you would playing for him, depending on your personality.
2. Les Miles, Kansas
Les Miles didn’t get the name “the Mad Hatter” for no reason. The reputation holds true in his imaginary teaching career, as well.
To me, Les Miles slides in as the newest chemistry instructor at our educational facility, due to the fact that as a coach, his eccentric tendencies and schemes and game plans were basically science experiments that took place on the gridiron.
At LSU, Miles was given the fabled nickname as a description for his often ill-quoted, always eccentric grass-eating attitude. If given a classroom of his own, and the tools of science to investigate, Miles may even discover just what made that Tiger stadium grass taste so good, or at the very least to compare it to the grass on Kansas’ field.
Given some time to teach, he may even discover the perfect plan to bring some of his past magic to his current Kansas team. Miles also provided one of the most interesting parts of Dr. Pepper’s “Fansville” series when he stole the National Championship Trophy, much as he did with the Tigers championship back in the 2007 season, almost definitely sealing his place as one of college football’s most interesting minds. What better place for that mind, than in a classroom?
1. Nick Saban, Alabama
The only appropriate explanation for this selection is that great professors come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments on this list, we’ve covered just about every type of teaching style — from the goofy to the serious. From fun to serious, we’ve covered coaches who would slot into teaching positions in different ways.
Nick Saban’s selection leans heavily towards the learning side of the scale, but it’s the ultimate learning experience you gain from learning under Nick Saban that propels him to the top of this list.
Saban is one of the greatest minds in college football, and will without a doubt go down as one of the best coaches in football history thanks to his success in building the Crimson Tide dynasty. His in-game adjustments and player development, not to mention his scouting, are incredible and would be a treat for anyone to learn.
The epitome of no funny business, and going about your business professionally while getting the job done in any situation, I see Saban teaching a class on business leadership (all the while getting his brain picked by students interested in building a football dynasty one day).
Maybe he could even have Bill Belichick come and coach a class with him, just like an old greatest hits compilation. I’m thinking, “The Greatest Artists of Modern Football Coaching.”
Which college football coach do you think would be a great teacher in the classroom? Let me know, in the comments.