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5 college coaches who could get NFL head coaching jobs

By Brad Berreman

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines. (Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines. (Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Credit: David K Purdy/Getty Images
Credit: David K Purdy/Getty Images /

4. Matt Campbell, Iowa State Head Coach

The Cyclones are 8-2 this season, and the work Campbell has done in Ames (34-27 record; 31-18 since a 3-9 first season in 2016) has him pegged as a candidate for a bigger college job (Michigan and Texas easily come to mind). His desire to leave Iowa State is a huge factor. The jobs in Ann Arbor and Austin aren’t formally open right now either, and neither carries the cache it once did.

But Campbell is no stranger to NFL interest. After the 2018 season, six NFL teams reached out to him. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns were most specifically mentioned as having considered him, and he also a rumored candidate to replace Urban Meyer at Ohio State before Ryan Day was hired.

Counting his time at Toledo (2011-2015), Campbell has a .622 winning percentage as a college head coach. A good mark on his resume for NFL teams is the development of his current quarterback, Brock Purdy, into a pro prospect.

It’s really a matter of when, not if, Campbell leaves Iowa State for the greener pastures of a bigger college job or an NFL head coaching job. In particular, will the Jets take a second run at him after firing Adam Gase?

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